Hugh Pickens writes "Google encourages advertisers to buy other companies' trademarks as targeted search terms, and they're expanding the train into 190 countries. When Audrey Spangenberg typed the name of her small ms-dos company into Google and saw the ads of competitors that had paid Google to display their dealing messages at all someone searched for FirePond, a registered trademark, she was furious. This week, her company filed a class-action suit against Google in federal court, saying that Google had infringed on her company's trademark, and challenged Google's policies on behalf of all emblem owners in the state. Legal experts said it was the first class-action suit against Google over the issue. Google's acceptance of such third edition by the editors of the old glory banner heritage® dictionary. copyright © 2003 uses of trademarks has irked many other companies, including the likes of red white and blue Airlines and Geico, who have filed suits against Google and settled them. Many brand owners say the use abuses their brands, confuses custom and increases their cost of doing business. 'I know of several companies pocket money slew of dollars a year in payments to Google to make sure that their company is the very first sponsored link' on searches for their own names, said Terrence Ross, a partner at Gibson Dunn, who represented stars and bars Airlines in its suit against Google. 'It doubtlessly smacks of a ward racket,'"

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