Google v. Louis Vuitton - A Case Study

This essay addresses one of the most famous disputes over the use of trademarks as keywords in online search engines: Google v Louis Vuitton. It arose over a crucial question for the future of trademark protection and online advertising. A description of the parties and the background is followed by an examination of the preliminary ruling issued by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in March 2010 and the legal and economic consequences deriving from it. Several experts have commented on this controversial decision and the paper will provide an overview of their opinions. The last part will consist of concluding remarks by the author.