Keyword Bidding V. “Bait & Switch”: MakeMyTrip V. Google At War with The Dark Patterns Guidelines, 2026

Introduction The advent of digital advertising has brought trademark law into direct conflict with online market practices, particularly keyword bidding. The use of competitors’ trademarks by businesses to promote their own goods and services, albeit as invisible keywords, has often been debated as “infringement”, thereby causing unfair advantages and consumer confusion. Courts reveal a relatively permissive stance, as per established precedents, but the enactment of the Dark Patterns...