One law firm is finding out what happens when you mess with the strong arm of the law. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
Colorado lawyer Frank Azar spends a lot of money advertising his legal services, calling himself “The Strong Arm.” Which isn’t a bad catchphrase for an injury lawyer—or a circus performer, some argue those have their similarities. Mr. Azar just sued a competitive law firm that buys Google ad keywords and metadata so when someone searches the phrase “the strong arm” they see pop-up ads from the competitor. The competitor says that’s not illegal.
Well, since 2019, Google has allowed companies to buy a competitor’s branded keywords. So it is legal when ads for a competitor’s product pop up when a user searches for a particular company, provided that there’s no confusion about the source of the ad. But Mr. Azar says there is in this case because the other firm doesn’t correct callers’ misconception that they’ve called Mr. Azar’s firm—and he is not going to let those clowns get away with it.
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