Babyboomers.com

Arstechnica has an interesting story (here) where a European Union ruling was overturned that would have held Google liable for displaying sponsored ads for websites that sell counterfeit items on the basis that trademarked names should be protected and thus Google shouldn’t let the scrupulous stores use those keywords.  (Louis Vuitton won the original lawsuit)

However, a higher up court deemed Google to be relinquished of all liability due to the fact that 3^rd party stores may sell accessories for trademarked items so searching for “Louis Vuitton accessories” is an allowable search.

So, you may be asking yourself – why do we care?  It’s a European ruling and it pertains to a trendy segment hardly covering any of our demographic.

I choose to write about this topic because it reminds me of how vigilant we have to be when conducting business these days.  It especially raises concerns when I think of my parents who are amongst those in the most highly targeted group by scam perpetrators.  I believe that we babyboomers have an air of suspicion that the trusting generation of our parents do not.  Combine this with their relatively basic online skills (please forgive the gross generalization) and it becomes more important to stay informed and proactive.

I urge all of you to please use this as an opportunity to take the time to understand your relatives’ online habits and gauge their understanding of trustworthiness and then help lead them down a safe path!