Use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Technology to Improperly Display Trademarks in Search Results so as to Mislead Consumers Violate Fair Trade Act
Two domestic businesses in Taiwan ended up applying Research Motor Optimization (Web optimization) technology to improperly screen particular model names on research engine display benefits, making people mistakenly believe that that the merchants have been promoting distinct brand merchandise in purchase to endorse their possess website pay a visit to charges. The Reasonable Trade Fee made the decision on 12 April 2022 that these behaviors violated Post 25 of the Truthful Trade Act, and imposed fines of 2 million and 800,000 New Taiwan pounds on the two firms respectively.
The Honest Trade Fee mentioned that when consumers enter a certain brand name on the Google research motor, this kind of a distinct brand name will seem in the lookup effects. This kind of a outcome is manufactured by these corporations using Seo strategies.
The Reasonable Trade Fee even more described that it does not oppose Search engine optimisation technological know-how, but the presentation of lookup outcomes should really not have any outcome of misleading shoppers. When Shoppers research for data about a unique manufacturer on the Google lookup motor, they may possibly be captivated by such misleading texts. These behaviors are equivalent to luring individuals to go to the mistaken street. This strategy can not only enhance the visitor rate of these companies’ have web-site but also catch the attention of individuals to evaluate or acquire other brand items sold on these companies’ site, thereby cutting down the income options that individuals at first want to research for model goods.
In the previous, the Truthful Trade Commission has observed that applying the enterprise title or the trademark of a competitor’s business enterprise as a keyword ad for a company, or juxtaposing the competitor’s business enterprise identify or trademark in the search term advertisement violates the Short article 25 of the Honest Trade Act. Whilst this case does not straight use other enterprise’s products brand names as search term adverts, the closing outcome is essentially a “bait-and-swap” deceptive conduct in addition to interrupting consumers’ ordinary item search and invest in. This sort of behaviors also has the influence of unfair competitiveness on other operators who promote these branded items. If it is authorized to transpire with no regulation, it could lead to other competitors to imitate in the foreseeable future, and then it will be additional complicated for buyers to distinguish the authenticity of the details presented in the lookup outcomes, therefore threatening the competitiveness buy of the e-commerce industry and the pursuits of customers. Hence, the Good Trade Association considered that the act constituted misleading and naturally unfair behaviors enough to impact the transaction buy and violated Short article 25 of the Fair Trade Act.