Louis Vuitton's Google battle scores win in French courts
01 Jul '06
2 min read
The Paris Court of Appeals ordered Google and its French subsidiary to pay US $376,589 (300,000 euros) in damages for trademark counterfeiting, unfair competition and misleading advertising, according to a report.
Google has also been barred from using Louis Vuitton's trademarks in its advertising on all of its Web sites accessible from France. Further Google was ordered to pay Louis Vuitton $94,139 (75,000 euros) against legal expenses and to publish the ruling in four news magazines and an online site.
Google representative stated it is an old Adwords case and none of the issues are relevant today as their trademark policy prevents bids on other people's registered trademarks and they do not allow people to advertise with AdWords for counterfeit products.
Earlier, the Paris District Court had ruled against Google and ordered to pay Louis Vuitton 200,000 euros in February 2005.
French court had also ordered Google to refrain form using the trademarks of a European resort chain, Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts, to trigger keyword ads.
Beforehand, Check 'n Go, sued Google in federal court in Ohio, United States stating that its search engine permits other payday lenders to purchase ads that would appear when the trademarked phrase "check n go" is searched.
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