AXA sues Google

[James]

Our employer, AXA, is suing Google over the AdWords programme:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3662915.stm

[francis]

More links:

http://slashdot.org/articles/04/04/27/1253...l?tid=98&tid=99 (http://slashdot.org/articles/04/04/27/1253220.shtml?tid=98&tid=99)
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/index.php?p=496
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/...2831546572.html (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/27/1082831546572.html)
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/inter...04/27/41513.htm (http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2004/04/27/41513.htm)
http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm...e&newsID=248533 (http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?SubMatter=Online&newsID=248533)

Let's see what happens on 10 May...

[Tom]

Sounds like a hopeful development for the legal profession. If AXA and similar suits were to succeed, would it open the way to sue any shop which offers a Pentel when you ask for a biro, an Electrolux when you ask for a hoover? An interesting aspect of the case is that it may not be Google which is held to break the law. It could be the company which makes an Adword bid on "AXA". Google is providing a market place, not 'impersonating' another company. I guess the case will fail. But if Adwords does less-well it is quite possible that Adsense will do more-well, if you'll pardon the grammar. So two thanks to AXA (the other is for underwriting the travel insurance policy I have just taken out - I'll be away from 7th to 16th May).