Posted 9:43 AM

Clue and Trademarks

Evidently the folks at NetFlix, (as well as those at eBay and lots of others, evidently) don't really understand what "trademarking" is all about. They're about to ask Google to bar sites affiliated with them from using the search giant's AdWords program to advertise their services. AdWords allows advertisers to bid for placement next to search results based on keywords. The affiliates have found they can make money on their affiliate fee while still buying the ad space from Google. So the solution is really simple: Google allows an advertiser to buy exclusive space (by paying more, of course). NetFlix could actually save money (in affiliate fees) by buying the exclusive AdWords placement!

Evidently the "marketing geniuses" at some companies never got past their classes in litigation 101.