Google sues Does over alleged Google-branded job-scam credential harvesting sites: complaint allegations

What was filed

The complaint is Document 1, filed October 29, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division. The case is Google LLC v. Does 1-8, No. 5:26-cv-12763. It runs 23 pages, the docket lists 42 exhibits, and the complaint demands a jury trial. Jurisdiction is pleaded under 15 U.S.C. 1121 and 28 U.S.C. 1331 for the Lanham Act claims, with supplemental jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. 1367.

The parties and the marks

The complaint says Google LLC is a Delaware limited liability company with its principal place of business in Mountain View, California. It alleges that Does 1-8 are unknown individuals who appear to be based in Vietnam, and that Google is informed and believes each Doe played a role in the scheme: developing or updating the harvesting software, registering domains, or deploying the software to domains. It identifies six of the Does only by email, GitHub, or Vercel account aliases. It says Google owns numerous registrations for the GOOGLE mark and variations, including U.S. Registration Nos. 2,806,075; 2,884,502; 4,058,966; 4,120,012; 4,123,471; 4,168,118; 4,202,570; 4,217,894; 4,525,914; 5,324,609; 5,324,610; and 6,373,292, and logo registrations including Nos. 5,365,541; 5,520,292; and 5,520,297. USPTO records list Reg. Nos. 2,806,075 and 2,884,502 as live GOOGLE registrations, the first owned by Google LLC and the second under the owner name Google Inc., and Reg. Nos. 5,365,541 and 5,520,292 as live G-logo registrations owned by Google LLC.

What the complaint alleges

Google alleges a credential-harvesting scheme that exploits Google trademarks and brand recognition to lure job seekers into divulging personal information under the false pretense of potential employment. It alleges the scheme begins with emails or other messages that prominently display Google trademarks and distinctive color scheme and falsely claim the recipient has been selected for a Google job interview, then directs recipients to websites that, Google alleges on information and belief, are built with Defendants' Harvesting Software, which places Google marks to create convincing fake credential pages. It alleges, and is informed and believes, that GitHub publicly hosts the harvesting software code and that Vercel is used to deploy it to domains. The complaint describes those platforms as legitimate third parties acting without knowledge of the scheme, and says the Does may also use Heroku. It alleges, on the same basis, that the Does registered about 300 domains with 11 registrars in the United States alone. It further alleges the Does breached Google's Terms of Service by impersonating Google and using Google services for unlawful activity.

The counts are trademark infringement under 15 U.S.C. § 1114; unfair competition and false designation of origin under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)(1)(A); false advertising under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)(1)(B); unfair competition under California Business and Professions Code § 17200; and breach of contract. The prayer asks for judgment on all counts; a finding that the conduct was willful; a preliminary and permanent injunction against using and infringing the Google Marks, the deceptive practices described, and using any Google or Gmail account in a manner that violates Google's Terms of Service; damages for trademark infringement to be trebled for willfulness under 15 U.S.C. § 1117; and further relief the court deems just and equitable.