Google sued by A. Airlines

Google is facing a fresh lawsuit from American Airlines, Reuters reports. American, the largest airline corporation in the world, has taken issue with Google's practice of selling search terms to other companies for advertising purposes -- specifically, in this case, phrases such as "American Airlines" or "AA.com." American claims that this constitutes an illegal use of its trademarks, as it was not consulted before sales began. Companies that pay Google for these advertising services have their ads appear whenever a user enters relevant terms into a search engine.

American says it is "seeking relief for the damages such practices are creating," although it has yet to suggest what those damages are, or how much money it may be owed. Google for its part argues that it is safe from the lawsuit, explaining through a statement, "We are confident that our trademark policy strikes a proper balance between trademark owners' interests and consumer choice, and that our position has been validated by decisions in previous trademark cases."

By Electronista Staff