14-02-2005 15:18									#1
	France more protective of trademarks than US! Got spare money?

quote: Google weighs order to pay Louis Vuitton PARIS - Internet search engine Google said today it was weighing a possible appeal after a Paris court ordered it to pay $260,000 plus costs to luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton for breach of trademark. The high court in central Paris awarded the damages in a decision late Friday and ordered Google to stop displaying advertisements for Vuitton's rivals whenever Internet users typed Vuitton's name or other trademarks into the search engine. "We're studying the ruling," said Google France spokeswoman Myriam Boublil. "No decision's been taken yet on an appeal." The ruling is the latest blow by French courts against Google's "Adwords" system, which allows companies to buy advertising linked to search keywords -- including rivals' trademarks. In October 2003, a court in Nanterre, west of Paris, fined Google for violating the trademark of an online tour operator, Bourse des Vols -- opening the floodgates to a series of other challenges. Google is still appealing that decision and is now defending itself against another challenge filed last year by Paris-based AXA SA, the world's No. 3 insurer. Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts won a similar lawsuit against Google's Adwords policy in December. U.S. courts have so far shown more tolerance toward Google's advertising policy. A judge ruled in December that it did not violate federal trademark laws. But some analysts say the tougher line on trademarks taken by French courts could nevertheless spell trouble for the $1.6 billion paid-search industry -- which now accounts for almost one-third of all U.S. online advertising. The latest Paris ruling against Google Inc. applies to all its sites, not just its French Google.fr page. Searches for "Louis Vuitton" and "Vuitton" conducted Monday on the main Google.com portal yielded none of the usual "Sponsored Links" for other companies.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistor...usiness/3027954

	14-02-2005 15:59									#2
	Get a bigger avatar today!

Mark, this has nothing to do with trade marks and has everything to do with protectionism. When you use google there are ads along the side so even though what you searched for is in the main body different companies can buy advertising rights to those side ads. Louis Vutton didn't want to pay for that ad space but it wants to make sure rivals can't rent it either. Would an Amercan or Asian clothing company get the same consideration from that court? I'm not sure.

As a web advertiser I thought you'd be more concerned about how protectionism could effect your business. What happens if the makers of one of the games you support on this site sue to prevent you from showing ads for other games while people surf your site? That's essentially what the French court is allowing to happen.

	14-02-2005 16:18									#3
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Actually, Oerdin, the French are well known for their rabid pursuit of trademark protection.

	14-02-2005 16:24									#4
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Plus, Apolyton is in violation of far more than mere trademark infringement. There are copyright issues involved in images that appear all over this site...

In fact, if the games it supports didn't have a vested interest in allowing it to stay up they'd have a very strong case to have it shut down (at least in its present incarnation).

	14-02-2005 17:29									#5
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

quote: Originally posted by KrazyHorse Actually, Oerdin, the French are well known for their rabid pursuit of trademark protection.

I know. I question if these actually has anything to do with trade mark protection though. The reason is it is curtailing an advertisers right to advertise instead of protecting against knock offs. Maybe the makers of Star Trek shoudl sue TV broadcasters to prevent advertising of other Sci Fi shows during Star Trek or Budweiser could sue to stop other beer makers from advertising during the commercial break for sporting events they've sponsored. Let's face it this has nothing to do with protecting copy rights and everything to do with economic nationalism which France is so famous for.

Ever notice how these off the wall verdicts always effect foreign (mostly American) companies with French companies always being the winner?

	14-02-2005 17:46									#6
	Remove this text

frogs

	14-02-2005 18:12									#7
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

What could France possibly do if Google just didn't pay? Does google actually have any French assets?

	14-02-2005 18:23									#8
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: But some analysts say the tougher line on trademarks taken by French courts could nevertheless spell trouble for the $1.6 billion paid-search industry -- which now accounts for almost one-third of all U.S. online advertising.

$5 billion spent on online advertising? Is that all? That's less than 4% of the total US media advertising market.

http://www.mediainfocenter.org/compare/adrevenue/

	14-02-2005 23:21									#9
	Tired of ads?

quote: Originally posted by Oerdin Mark, this has nothing to do with trade marks and has everything to do with protectionism.

yeah but i thought this thread title would be more clickable

quote: As a web advertiser I thought you'd be more concerned about how protectionism could effect your business.

i guess you mean web publisher

quote: What happens if the makers of one of the games you support on this site sue to prevent you from showing ads for other games while people surf your site? That's essentially what the French court is allowing to happen.

well we are thank-sid-fully pass the time where we had french owning games that we cover

	14-02-2005 23:23									#10
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by KrazyHorse Plus, Apolyton is in violation of far more than mere trademark infringement. There are copyright issues involved in images that appear all over this site...

if you are talking about screenshots, these are either posted by our own copies of the game under agreement with the developer for a review or publicly released by the developer for press use.

	14-02-2005 23:28									#11
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

MarkG is getting defensive... guilty?

	14-02-2005 23:30									#12
	Support Apolyton

actually, I was thinking about the noncustom avatar set (images of civ2 units) as well as some of the screenshots from games obviously not under review

for instance, the ones in use on the CtP2 page
http://apolyton.net/ctp2/

	15-02-2005 01:39									#13
	Inflate your Upload Space

i believe the avatars are covered under "fair use"