Google Inc, owner of the world's most-used Internet search engine, won a lawsuit in China over its subsidiary's name and trademark in Chinese, ending an 18-month dispute with a local company.

Google China will be paid 100,000 yuan (US$14,624) in compensation from Beijing Guge Science and Technology Co, according to a filing by Beijing's Haidian District court yesterday. In 2006, Google named its unit in the country ''Gu Ge'', which means ''harvesting song'' in Chinese. A year later, Beijing Guge sued Google, claiming the California-based Internet company was using its name. The court ruled that Beijing Guge must stop using the name because it belongs to Google's China unit, according to the filing.

(Shanghai Daily January 7, 2009)