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Court dismisses SA Google AdWords appeal

Johannesburg - Perimeter security barrier company Cochrane Steel has failed in its bid to overturn a high court judgment on South Africa’s first ever Google AdWords case.

In August 2014, Cochrane Steel launched a final interdict at Johannesburg's South Gauteng High Court to try stop its rival M-Systems from bidding on the ‘ClearVu’ search keyword in Google AdWords.

READ: Court rules on SA's first Google AdWords case

ClearVu is a high security fencing system that is sold in South Africa by Cochrane Steel. Meanwhile, Google AdWords lets business owners bid on words for text adverts that appear alongside searches for certain keywords.

At the time, the South Gauteng High Court heard that M-Systems did not use the ‘ClearVu’ term directly in its ad but rather as a hidden keyword.

After hearing the case, the high court’s Judge CH Nicholls ruled in October 2014 that M-Systems was not guilty of passing off the ClearVu brand by bidding on 'ClearVu' keyword.

Judge Nicholls, at the time, further found that M-System's use of keyword advertising did not cause confusion among internet users. Judge Nicholls also resorted to interpretations of common law because Cochrane Steel’s bid to register the ‘ClearVu’ brand in South Africa had not been completed yet.

Cochrane Steel then moved to appeal Judge Nicholls’ ruling at Bloemfontein’s Supreme Court of Appeal.

READ: SA's first Google AdWords judgment faces appeal

But the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld the South Gauteng High Court judgment on Friday last week.

"It follows that the appeal must fail and in the result it is accordingly dismissed with costs,” wrote Judge of Appeal VM Ponnan in the judgment.

Reasons for ruling

Like the South Gauteng High Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal found that M-System’s use of keyword advertising in terms of the ClearVu brand does not cause confusion among web users.

"If the advertisement contains no reference to the appellant (Cochrane Steel) the consumer ought reasonably to conclude that the result is not related to the appellant or its products or services,” said Judge Ponnan.

"But even if the consumer went one step further and clicked on M-Systems' website its branding would have left the consumer in no reasonable doubt as to the identity of the trader whose services were on offer.

"It is thus unsurprising that the appellant has been unable to adduce any evidence of actual confusion...I do not think the appellant has proved its likelihood,” added Judge Ponnan.

Another key finding by the Supreme Court of Appeal on Friday was that M-Systems’ use of the 'ClearVu' keyword in Google AdWords did not constitute unlawful competition.

Judge Ponnan wrote that the aim of internet advertising using keywords is “in general, to offer to internet users alternatives to the goods or services of trade mark proprietors”.

Because Cochrane Steel has to register ClearVu as a trademark, Judge Ponnan further said "the use by one trader of the unregistered trademark or trade name of another is not unlawful under the common law except to the extent that that use gives rise to passing off”.

"It follows that the attempt by the appellant to ground a cause of action based on unlawful competition in these circumstances is ill conceived,” wrote Judge Ponnan.

Relevance of decision

M-Systems’ legal representatives, Darren Olivier and Ian Learmonth of Adams & Adams, told Fin24 on Monday that the latest ruling on this matter brings South Africa in line with similar court decisions in New Zealand, the UK, Canada and Australia.

“It creates clarity that keyword bidding on competitor trade marks on its own (without more) is not passing off and unlikely to be trademark infringement thus enabling alternative products to be advertised during internet searches,” Olivier told Fin24.

“It also means that search engines enabling companies locally and abroad to target South African internet users do not need to alter their keyword advertising models to comply with local laws,” Learmonth said.

However, Olivier said that “internet advertisers still need to be cautious to avoid any likelihood of confusion and for it to be clear that the sponsored link or advert is interpreted by the internet user for what it is, i.e. an advert.”

Learmonth further said that advertisements and their associated link should also not themselves be unlawful by, for instance, using a registered trademark.

Cochrane Steel’s legal team could not be reached for comment about the Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling at the time of writing.

Read the Supreme Court of Appeal's full judgment here:

Supreme Court of Appeal decision on SA Google AdWords case

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