Nice column by Alex on the trademark controversy that is clear and concise.
Of this much I’m sure: Google will be forced to look a lot harder at its keywords in the near future. Take a Google search for Hallmark. It now returns three AdWords listings. One of them links to Speedycards.com, one of Hallmark’s competitors in the greeting-card business. If every trademarked company made its name off-limits for use as a keyword, it would mean significant potential for disruptions in the online-ad marketplace.
But “Hallmark” is an english word in the dictionary. How can it be trademarked or copywrited?