Google Settles Keyword Ad Suit

Google has settled a lawsuit filed in 2003 by American Blind & Wallpaper Factory over keyword ads, reports Reuters.

The a reseller of window blinds sued because competitors’ ads come up in a Google search on trademarked terms. American Airlines filed a similar lawsuit last month. American Blind, however, was dealt a blow when a judge ruled that words such as “American blinds” were not trademarks, but descriptive terms.


Under the settlement, Google can continue its practices and each side pays its own legal bills. There is no penalty. Eric Goldman, director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University, told SiliconValley.com the outcome amounted to a “stunning victory” for Google.