Google growling at new Utah trademark law
By LINDA FANTIN and GLEN WARCHOL
Salt Lake Tribune
2007-04-11 00:00:00
SALT LAKE CITY -- Google "Utah Legislature" and "lawsuit" and you might soon find yourself reading about, well, Google.
The world's largest Internet search engine says a new state law that curbs keyword-triggered advertising is unconstitutional and probably will be challenged in court. And although the company didn't promise to be the plaintiff, its spokesman pledged to work with other Internet companies to "educate officials in Utah about the numerous consequences" of the legislation.
"This law hurts consumers, violates free speech, and is inconsistent with both established U.S. trademark law and our capitalist system," Google spokesman Adam Kovacevich said in an e-mail to The Salt Lake Tribune.
The legal caveats shouldn't surprise Utah lawmakers. They heard the same warnings from their own lawyers. A legislative review note said the Trademark Protection Act had a "high probability of being found unconstitutional."
