WebProNews

It seems that AOL doesn't have much faith in the public's reading comprehension skills.  This week, it filed suit against Advertise.com on the basis that "Advertise.com" is too similar to a couple of terms AOL has used for years.

The official complaint (obtained by Domain Name Wire) stated, "Plaintiffs and their predecessors have continuously used and extensively promoted the ADVERTISING.COM and AD.COM names and marks in connection with the provision of a variety of services."

Advertise.com, as you might expect and/or hope, offers some comparable services (it's important to note that this isn't a simple case of cybersquatting).

So AOL is seeking "all gains, profits and advantages derived but [sic] it from the unlawful acts," along with punitive damages "in an amount to be determined at trial."  AOL would like to be reimbursed its court costs when everything's said and done, too.

Many onlookers are somewhat incredulous, considering that AOL doesn't even own the domain name Ad.com.  There's also a question of why AOL didn't act before now, since ABCSearch rebranded itself as Advertise.com more than a few months ago, in late April.

Anyway, AOL filed its suit in Virginia and requested a jury trial.  Stay tuned.