Binder & Binder Awarded $292K; Suit Claimed Google Competitor Purloined Its Name
The law firm Binder & Binder has been awarded $292,000 in a trademark infringement suit against a competitor that paid Google to have its ad appear when people searched for the Binder name.
U.S. District Judge George King of the Central District of California ruled that the Disability Group Inc. had violated the Binder law firm’s registered trademark, and had engaged in false advertising and unfair competition.
The Legal Skills Prof Blog has a story on the decision that cites the BNA E-Commerce Law newsletter.
Both Binder & Binder and the Disability Group Inc. compete for Social Security disability clients. The Disability Group had successfully bid on the Binder name so that its sponsored ad appeared when people searched for Binder & Binder on Google.
King cited a study that found some clients of the Disability Group believed they had retained Binder & Binder or an affiliated firm.
