One of the oldest outstanding trademark-infringement lawsuits filed against Google
over search ads — that by American Blinds & Wallpaper — has been settled in
what I’d agree with legal analyst Eric Goldman in
calling a stunning victory for Google. Google has to pay nothing and change
nothing to see the case disappear.
Eric has
posted the eight-page settlement
here (PDF format). It provides that
American Blinds will not seek to sue Google as long as it maintains its existing
policy that bars trademarks from ad copy. Eric also notes that American Blinds previously
has
had to pay Google $15,000 over concerns about evidence discovery and
destruction.
What about all those other cases over the years? See my freshly-minted post,
Paid Search Ads &
Trademarks: A Review Of Court Cases, Legal Disputes & Policies that fills you in.