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Google Trademark Suit, Yahoo! Completes Purchase of Overture, Microsoft Ends Agreement with Looksmart - Search Engines News and Articles - October 21, 2003

Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Google was successfully sued in Nanterre, France for selling AdWords sponsored listings tied to a trademarked term. Google is appealing the decision.

Google France fined for trademark violation
Last modified: October 16, 2003, 10:47 AM PDT
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Google fined in trademark case
Sat 18 October, 2003 16:45 BST
By Christopher Noble
PARIS (Reuters)

"In the trademark case, the owner of the name 'Bourse des vols' (Market for Flights), an Internet travel agent, wanted Google to stop allowing competitors to include 'Bourse des vols' as a term that would generate an advertisement and link to their own site that Internet searchers could click on."

In other news, MSN and Overture have extended their arrangement through June, 2005.

Overture and Microsoft Extend Search Distribution Relationship in the U.S. and UK
Overture Services Inc. News Release - 10/17/2003
PASADENA, Calif., October 17, 2003

Wednesday, October 8, 2003
Yahoo! now owns Overture. Yahoo! completed its purchase of Overture Services, Inc. today for approximately 1.83 billion dollars in stock and cash.

Yahoo! and Overture Announce Completion of Acquisition
Overture Becomes a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of Yahoo!
SUNNYVALE, Calif. & PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 2003
Overture.com Press Release

Tuesday, October 7, 2003
Microsoft will end it's contractual relationship with LookSmart in mid-January (January 15) and will instead focus on building its own search tools. LookSmart gets almost 70 percent of it's quarterly revenue by licensing its search results to MSN, so ending the agreement will deal a devastating blow to the company.

MSN Agreement With LookSmart to End January 15, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 6
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/
LookSmart.com

Microsoft to End Licensing Pact With LookSmart
October 6, 2003
SmartMoney.com

Of course, after the news was made public, LookSmart's stock began to plummet. Actually, LookSmart's stock took a steep drop (21%) on August 15, when it became known that Microsoft was looking at options other than renewing its contract with LookSmart. Now that Microsoft has announced that it definitely will not be renewing its contract, LookSmart's stock has dropped precipitously.

Stocks Slip Amid Earnings Caution
October 07, 2003 10:19:00 AM ET
By Elizabeth Lazarowitz
NEW YORK (Reuters)

"But LookSmart Ltd. (LOOK) fell 56 percent after Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Internet division will end its licensing agreement with LookSmart Ltd. in January 2004, the Web search company said on Monday, cutting off LookSmart from its biggest client. Its shares, the most active on Nasdaq, fell $1.69 to $1.33."

Watch what happens to LookSmart shares on MSN Money - US:LOOK Quote.