Many cases have been filed around the country, based on the offering for sale, or using of keywords, in connection with search engine-driven internet advertising. One such case, which I wrote about in an article that was published recently, and which can be found here, involved American Airlines and Yahoo!, the popular internet search engine.
In that case, American Airlines alleged that Yahoo’s practice of offering its trademarks and brand names as keywords to advertisers, including to the airline’s competitors, amounted to trademark infringement. However, the lawsuit was recently settled before a decision could be reached in the case.