Law Commons^™

Keywords, Trademarks, And The Gray Market: Why The Use Is Not Fair, Lisa A. Nester

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

This Comment analyzes the escalating effects of Internet banner ads and gray marketers on trademark owners' ability to control the use and sale of their marks as keywords and metatags. To unify these concepts, Ms. Nester utilizes the facts behind a suit filed by Estee Lauder, Inc. against an Internet fragrance retailer and an Internet search engine. The suit alleged trademark infringement and unfair competition, among other things, for the Internet entities' unauthorized uses of Estee Lauder's registered trademarks in fragrances. The author explores the facilitating and enabling effect of the Internet on gray market, or parallel importation, activity, such …