PORTLAND – Pine Tree Legal is taking on a California company that the Maine nonprofit says is misdirecting Internet users who are looking for free legal services.
Represented by Bernstein Shur, Pine Tree Legal filed suit against LegalMatch in U.S. District Court Wednesday. The suit alleges LegalMatch infringes on Pine Tree Legal’s trademarked name, and is seeking an injunction to prevent it from using the name in its Web advertisements. Pine Tree Legal provides free legal services for low-income Mainers.
People looking for information about Pine Tree Legal on certain Internet search engines are directed to a paid ad for LegalMatch.com that says “Find Pine Tree Legal Assistance Services.” If they follow the links, people are instructed to fill out a form with contact information and to describe the nature of their legal problem. LegalMatch then forwards the information to an attorney, who pays it a referral fee, and charges the consumer for any services rendered.
Hugh Calkins, research and development director for the statewide legal assistance group, called the practice “particularly pernicious” because Web users are searching with keywords “Pine Tree Legal” or “Pine Tree Legal Assistance,” assuming they will be directed to the nonprofit’s Web site.
“Many people are not that sophisticated Web users,” he said, noting the practice is deceptive and misdirects consumers.
A call placed to LegalMatch in San Francisco was not returned.
Calkins said Pine Tree Legal was tipped off to the practice by a sister group, Vermont Legal Aid, last fall.
“This is a problem nationally,” he said. He said he’s unaware of any other legal assistance organizations that have filed suit against LegalMatch, although deceptive Web advertising has been a recent topic within national legal aid groups.
Calkins said Pine Tree Legal’s Web site, www.ptla.org, gets about 800,000 hits per year. The group provided legal assistance to about 12,000 clients in Maine last year.
Calkins said Bernstein Shur has a depth of expertise in intellectual property law and is handling the case pro bono.
In addition to preventing LegalMatch from using Pine Tree Legal as keywords, the suit also is seeking damages and asking a judge to order LegalMatch to post corrective advertising on its Web site and pay for an advertising campaign so Pine Tree Legal can correct the misperceptions. As of Friday afternoon, LegalMatch had not responded to the filing.
Comments are no longer available on this story