2 posts and columns on trademark law

EU Court Rules on Ad Keywords

in News on July 8, 2010 at 11:06 am PT

Europe’s highest court Thursday confirmed an earlier ruling that companies using the names of their competitors as Internet advertising keywords are not infringing European trademark laws. The case involved temporary cabin maker Portakabin, which accused its competitor Primakabin of infringing its rights as trademark owner of the Portakabin name by using it as an ad keyword.

EFF Creates a "Hall of Shame" for Disputed Takedowns

in News on October 30, 2009 at 8:42 am PT

The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s latest effort to call out what it considers violations of copyright and trademark law comes in the form of a mock-awards page, complete with “honorees,” called the Takedown Hall of Shame. The tech-advocacy group highlights a handful of cases it calls “the most egregious examples of takedown abuse,” usually involving businesses or organizations that cry foul–or issue takedown notices–even when their copyrighted materials are used in accordance with fair-use laws.