Often criticized for its outdated procedures and questionable oversight of the patent application process, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office made strides recently to move its system into the electronic age as part of its "21st Century Strategic Plan."
In a case of particular interest to the online webmaster community, a federal judge decided last week that an Internet trademark infringement claim can continue.
A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court alleges that the top search engines are using a company’s trademark as search terms to drive Internet traffic to third-party advertisers. The suit against Google Inc. and Overture Services Inc. by insurer Geico this month claims that the search-engines are infringing on its trademark and diluting its value.
Google continues to find itself in hot legal water over trademark violations and this week was named in a lawsuit filed by French company AXA, a financial protection and wealth management company with more than $979 billion in client assets.
