The American way of life is an expression often used to explain the freedoms we experience and our country’s principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  It is often used to describe all that we hold sacred and perserving this way of life often quoted as a reason for the actions of our leaders and government.

Last Friday, American Airlines announced that it was seeking damages from Google for selling search terms that use or were related to its name.  Capitalism is definitely part of the American way and so is greed.  While I agree to a certain extent that companies shouldn’t be able to make money from the direct use of someone else’s trademark name, I do question whether companies should be allowed to hold (or trademark) names that are as generic as American Airlines.  Apparently there has been contradicting rulings in the past to buying search terms of trademark names.  There really needs to be some standard for generic company names and genericized brand names like Kleenex, Xerox, and Band-Aids. Until there is clarity and a landmark ruling on this topic, I guess its the “American Way” to keep fighting for a share of the profits.