Google settles 10-year legal spat with LVMH
SEARCH giant Google and luxury goods group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton yesterday announced they had settled a decade-long legal dispute over counterfeit goods being advertised online.
LVMH had complained that Google was selling ads that infringed on its trademarks and linked to counterfeit products for sale. Yesterday’s settlement will see both firms work together to tackle the advertising and sale of such goods online.
“We are very happy to reach this agreement with LVMH and to work together to tackle the advertising of counterfeit goods online and preserve the value of trusted brands,” said Google’s president of Southern and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa operations Carlo D’Asaro Biondo. “We are looking forward to engaging with LVMH, one of the world’s leading luxury brands, through our engineering, product and sales teams.”
On the closure of the case that began in 2003, LVMH vice president Pierre Gode said: “Today’s LVMH-Google agreement paves the way for greater cooperation towards a safer and more engaging digital environment, brands will be protected both online and offline.”