EFF Supporting Pop Up Company, Understanding Trademark Law

from the the-right-move dept

As annoying and sneaky as companies like Gator and WhenU are in getting their ad-pop-up technology onto users' computers, that doesn't mean the actual process of popping up ads for competitors when you visit a specific website should be illegal. Most judges realize this, and WhenU had won a series of judgments from companies protesting the actions of these companies. However, in December, they lost a case as a judge said that it was a trademark violation to have WhenU pop up ads for other contact lens providers if a user visited 1-800-Contacts' website. If you assume that the end user purposely decided to put the software on their computer, then what's possibly illegal about what then happens on their computer. If they want to see competing companies for websites they visit, that should be allowed. While they may take some criticism for supporting a pop-up provider, the EFF is absolutely right in filing an amicus brief in support of WhenU. Now, what someone needs to do is take these companies to court for installing their apps without getting real permission from users. The EFF makes the argument that someone walking down to a store to buy some contact lenses has the right to look at other contact lenses in a different store. I'd take the argument even further and say that (just like the case for letting search companies sell trademarked keywords) it's no different than a company getting placement on the shelves near a competing product in the supermarket. If you make Bob's Cola, then you want to make sure you're on the same shelf as Coca-Cola, because that's where people will look for you. That's not a trademark violation. No one is going to confuse Bob's Cola for Coca-Cola. It just makes sure that you're advertising in places where you know your target audience is looking. Unfortunately, companies like Playboy continue to insist this isn't true and are still suing search engines for selling ads on their trademarked keywords. How come they're not suing magazine and bookshops for putting competing magazines on the stand next to their own magazines?