Keyword Trademark InfringementsAugust 27, 2004 On May 19, 2004, auto insurance company Geico sued Google and Overture for allegedly violating its trademarks in search-related advertisements, in the latest legal salvo against the Internet companies. The insurer charged the two companies with infringing on its trademarks when they sold them as keywords to Geico's rivals, so that the protected terms could appear in sponsored search results. According to the suit, that practice causes consumer confusion, in violation of the Lanham Act, the primary federal law covering trademark registration and protection. This isn't the first time Google, Overture or other PPC search engines get into legal trouble over keyword trademark infringement issues. This trend is actually expected to grow, as more and more companies discover the high conversion features of keywords using major brand names or trademarks. Smart trademark owners have always been vigilant and continue to engage in all forms of trademark protection battles. However, with the number of trademark infringements involving branded keywords steadily increasing at an alarming rate, search engines have started to respond and take action. Google and Overture now post on their websites specific copyright and trademark infringement complaint procedures, along with detailed instructions on how to go about this growing problem. Most search engines today will remove competitors' paid listings of registered trademark owners who lodge an official infringement complaint. Next: How to file a complaint with the search engines >>> Article written by Serge Thibodeau,  Unless otherwise specified, all content and material on this site is copyrighted by Serge Thibodeau of rankforsales.com and may not be reproduced by any means without express written permission. Using my content without permission is a theft of my work. Please contact sthibodeau@rankforsales.com to discuss certain reprint options that would be acceptable. You can read some of Serge Thibodeau's exclusive comments that are not posted on this website. Visit his personal blog by clicking here. For hardware, software or IT-related technology questions, it is recommended you visit www.techblog.org We strongly suggest you bookmark our web site by clicking here.  Tired of receiving unwanted spam in your in box? Get SpamArrest™ and put a stop to all that SPAM. Click here and get rid of SPAM forever! Get your business or company listed in the Global Business Listing directory and increase your business. It takes less then 24 hours to get a premium listing in the most powerful business search engine there is. Click here to find out all about it. Rank for $ales strongly recommends the use of WordTracker to effectively identify all your right industry keywords. Accurate identification of the right keywords and key phrases used in your industry is the first basic step in any serious search engine optimization program. The keywords you think are the best may be totally different than the ones recommended by WordTracker. Click here to start your keyword and key phrase research. 
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