Judge rules for Google in Rosetta Stone case

Language software firm Rosetta Stone has had its copyright infringement case against Google dismissed by a US federal judge.

The firm issued the lawsuit in 2009 after claiming that Google had profited from selling sponsored ads for the term 'Rosetta Stone' to software piracy companies which then sold sub-standard products under the Rosetta brand.

Google welcomed the decision to throw the case out, saying that it was " consistent with a growing line of decisions in the internet space", and that it had seen no evidence that consumers are confused by its practices.

"Users searching on Google benefit from being able to choose from a variety of competing advertisers, and we've found no evidence that legitimate use of trademarks as keyword-triggers or in the text of advertisements confuses consumers," said Google in a statement.

Rosetta Stone chief executive Tom Adams expressed his disappointment with the ruling, claiming that Google does not do enough to stop such practices on its AdWords platform.

"We are deeply disappointed that Rosetta Stone was not given an opportunity to present at a public trial the facts underlying Google's practices and the motivation that led Google to adopt its current trademark policies," he said.

"Google has a corporate responsibility to protect consumers and promote trust in its search results. Without question, Google knows that counterfeit software is being advertised in its AdWords programme and takes no effective steps to stop this illicit activity."

Rosetta Stone said that it plans to review the decision, and will consider submitting an appeal to the US Court of Appeals.