WebsiteDistrict — Fri, 06 Aug 2004 08:27:47 +0000

hehe, their asking for 1M? wow! ask for 2M to transfer it to them... you bought the domain with clear and clean intentions... one big company in the Philippines sued someone using their name. and it all ended up where that big company were literally begging the owner to transfer it to them for a large sum.

I can see another millionaire here hehehehe

fifeclub — Thu, 05 Aug 2004 16:00:54 +0000

Sorry I'm replying to an old thread.... but I wanted to.

First of all, I'm not a lawyer but I do work with lawyers often in dealing with copyright and trademark issues and this is an open and shut case. It doesn't matter what your site is about, they have trademark (and probably copyright on the technology too) on the word Google and using it at all in any way what so ever is illegal.

If you have a site called "Amazon Bookworld" then they'll get you for infringement and damages. If you have a site called "Amazon Lawnmower Repair" then you'll be okay because Amazon can't trademark all uses of the word "Amazon" because it is a common word out of the dictionary. As contrast, Google was a made up word that never existed before so using it in any way what so ever is undeniably a rip-off.

A little known fact: Google does NOT mean "the number equal to a one with a million zeros after it". That word is actually Googol. Google claims they choose the spelling Google as a funny pun on the mathematical term but legend has it that the founders of Google actually misspelled the word when they began the search engine.

Google itself is not above trademark and copyright infringement. Infact the legal owner of the made up term Googol mentioned above is considering suing Google over infringement see link here and the trademark/copyright owners of the name Googles is also considering a lawsuit against Google. Googles is the names of some childrens characters see link here... and they trademarked the word "Googles" a year before the search engine people trademarked "Google"!!!

Back to the subject: Sorry but you don't stand any chance of winning and I'm shocked that Google would offer you one penny when they don't have to. I'd be thankful for that and take it before they change their mind. They just figure it's cheaper to buy you out for $50 then fille a lawsuit that would cost them $10,000. And as for all those other companies that are still up and running with Google in their name... I'm sure they all got the same message you got threatening them with a lawsuit. They too are in the wrong and stand no chance of winning but they probably chose to ignore the letter, thinking that Google wouldn't waste their money on pursuing prosecution.

Old Socks — Wed, 14 Apr 2004 05:28:15 +0000

I'll give you 11$ for the domain - turn it into a google fan site - we love google - whats the betting they let me keep that site up and running?

Suzanne — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 01:56:27 +0000

Well, McDonald's™ has its own issues, specifically derogatory cultural references to McJobs, et al.

brady.k — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 00:36:41 +0000

I see...

Why doesn't anyone like "McDonalding"? ;-D

teammatt3 — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 21:17:49 +0000

Quote: Companies like Google™ are in danger of losing their trademark because of the "common" usage that is erupting; when people refer to searching on the web as Googling right now they mean searching with Google™ -- however in the future they may start referring to searching with *any* search engine, which would effectively push the term into being a common term and no longer able to be trademarked.

That's interesting

Suzanne — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 20:33:02 +0000

It wasn't just you, Kyle! It's very common.

However, you could TRADEMARK "apples" if you're not an apple farmer. Trademarks cannot be held for common terms, so you can't trademark "apples" if it's considered to be a common term for the industry. (i.e. Apple Computing -- "apple" isn't a computer term). Trademarks generally refer to branding and also apply to logos (not text graphics, but an actual logo such as the Nike swoosh or AT&Ts globe).

So Google™ and the multi-coloured Google™ logotype are trademarks of Google the company. Technically every time you say "Google", you should say "Google™".

Trademarks apply within an industry only. There are some that become very commonplace so that *any* other company using that name would cause confusion in the marketplace. Theoretically, this means that two different companies, in two different fields can trademark the same name(s) without being in conflict.

Companies like Google™ are in danger of losing their trademark because of the "common" usage that is erupting; when people refer to searching on the web as Googling right now they mean searching with Google™ -- however in the future they may start referring to searching with *any* search engine, which would effectively push the term into being a common term and no longer able to be trademarked.

brady.k — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 20:14:56 +0000

Explain the difference between TM and C, since I'm the one that made that mistake...

s0da — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 20:12:42 +0000

i c

Suzanne — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 20:05:32 +0000

And just to be clear, the issue is primarily TRADEMARK, not COPYRIGHT law.