Truth 39. Brands, trademarks, and the brand marketer’s dilemma
Should brand and direct marketers buy their own trademarks as keywords? Should you buy other competitive trademarks in your Google, Yahoo!, or other search campaigns? There are no simple answers, but the issue of trademarks as keywords persists as one of the most vexing issues in search marketing.
The GEICO versus Google lawsuit
The first major skirmish in what has become a continual battle over Google’s trademark policy surfaced several years ago, when insurer GEICO sued Google for allowing GEICO’s competitors to buy the keyword “GEICO” to serve ads for competing services. The issue was ultimately settled out of court, but the legal precedent was set, allowing ...
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