Geico has sent out a dozen or so cease-and-desist letters to competitors, saying now that it's settled its lawsuit against Google it can take legal action against those that purchase the search engine term "Geico" to drive consumers to non-Geico websites, reports AdAge (via MediaBuyerPlanner). The sale and purchase of competitors' company names as keywords is common on search engines, but Geico sued Google in May 2004, accusing it of violating Geico's trademark by selling the keyword "Geico" to its competitors.

In her written opinion, the judge wrote that using "Geico" in the headline or text of a sponsored link ad is trademark infringement but that Google's selling of those keywords is acceptable. Geico's action could spark waves of new lawsuits as companies sue each other over the use of certain search engine keywords, lawyers say.