[1] Several corporations have sued search engines to stop this practice, claiming that it violates United States trademark law.
[2][3][4] The Utah Trademark Protection Act created the electronic registration mark.
Judges in France have consistently upheld rulings that French trademark law bans the sale of trademarked search terms in keyword advertising for any website viewed from within France.
Another issue concerns an advertiser’s ability to determine whether a web page is being viewed in Utah or elsewhere: Because of this ambiguity, the law may be vulnerable to Dormant Commerce Clause challenges.
Supporters respond that trademark law has always considered trademark infringement to be a form of theft that is not protected speech, that search engines have demonstrated that they can pinpoint Internet users’ locations, and that paid advertisements are not a core component of an Internet user's experience.