The Delhi Excessive Court docket dominated in opposition to Google within the case, ordering it to pay damages of $31,600 and different prices
Guests stroll close to a brand of Google at Bharat Mandapam, one of many venues for AI Affect Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. REUTERS
Google has challenged an Indian court docket ruling that it infringed on an organization’s trademark rights by permitting rivals to make use of its title as an promoting key phrase, arguing the choice will harm shoppers, paperwork reviewed by Reuters present.
The Might choice might reshape the net advertisements market in a rustic the place Google final 12 months earned $4.1 billion in gross promoting income however the place it is usually going through a raft of antitrust circumstances and court docket battles.
The Delhi Excessive Court docket dominated in opposition to Google within the case, ordering it to pay damages of $31,600 and different litigation prices.
In its 4,761-page problem, which isn’t public however was reviewed by Reuters, Google mentioned the choice makes India the “sole outlier” amongst international jurisdictions “with critical penalties for the digital promoting business, on-line client alternative, and aggressive markets.”
Researchers have noticed that buyers could seek for a model as a way to establish and assess alternate options, Google wrote within the July 7 submitting, arguing the ruling will successfully grant trademark house owners a “monopoly over promoting house to the detriment of shoppers.”
In a response to a Reuters request for remark, Google confirmed it’s interesting the order, which it mentioned “diverges from established authorized precedents in India”. It added that its advertisements insurance policies replicate normal practices that allow competitors.
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Google India’s enchantment can be heard within the coming days.
Google promoting one thing it doesn’t personal, choose says
If upheld, Indian attorneys and tech consultants say the unique ruling will have wide-ranging ramifications for the way the net advertisements market operates.
Indian matchmaking service Shaadi.com, for instance, mentioned that it might change the economics of on-line advertisements for hundreds of thousands of companies that have been struggling when their opponents bid on their title and Google took a charge.
Justice Mini Pushkarna famous in the choice in Might that Google couldn’t be permitted to shrug off accountability after making a software accessible that results in trademark infringement.
“Google has tried to promote one thing that it merely doesn’t personal,” Pushkarna wrote.
Google’s enchantment rejects the place that it has infringed on logos, arguing that “a key phrase is merely used as an inside and backend set off to show an advert” and is just “making promoting house accessible”.
Google additionally faces antitrust circumstances in India in addition to authorized challenges over AI coaching and stricter-than-ever content material takedown laws that started making use of to tech firms from February.
