Founders seize on Indian court ruling to revive criticism of Google’s ad business
A recent Indian court ruling against Google’s keyword advertising practices has gained fresh attention after founders said competitors have long used the system to siphon off customers and force companies to pay to protect their own brands.
The ruling, delivered by the Delhi High Court on May 22 in a trademark dispute involving bathroom fittings maker Hindware, found Google liable for trademark infringement over its keyword advertising practices and awarded the company ₹3 million (around $31,600) in nominal damages.
In her 163-page judgment (PDF), Justice Mini Pushkarna rejected Google’s argument that it was merely a passive intermediary in serving ads on its search platform. The judge said Google, through its AdWords platform, allowed Hindware’s rivals to use “Hindware” as a keyword to target users searching for the brand.
“Google by selling the trademark of the plaintiff [Hindware] as a keyword without any authorization for commercial gains is infringing the plaintiff’s...
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