Internet users who typed "AXA" or "Direct Assurance" into the search engine got ads for rival insurers alongside ordinary search results, according to the Associated Press.
Google is already embroiled in litigation in the U.S. and Europe over its lax trademark policy, but $86 billion strong AXA is the largest company yet to take legal action against the Mountain View California company.
A preliminary hearing on AXA's allegations of "brand counterfeiting" is scheduled for May 10 in Paris, according to the Associated Press.