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Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick

Mon, Sep 12th 2005 10:57am





Apparently Free Text Ads Not Enough To Calm UK Firm That Used The G-mail Name

from the off-to-court dept

Right after Google first launched Gmail, a research firm in the UK pointed out that they already had an email system named G-Mail, and they believe Google was violating the trademark. Well, the two firms have been discussing the matter for 15 months, and whatever Google's been offering for the rights to the name apparently hasn't been enough. The firm is getting ready to take Google to court over the name. Of course, one reason why Google may not have been willing to give in to whatever demands the company had was that they might have a pretty good claim. The research firm's G-Mail wasn't really a regular email system, and you could make a very convincing argument that there's unlikely to be any confusion -- which is the point of trademark law, after all.

7 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    icon
    Daniel (profile), Sep 12th, 2005 @ 11:15am

    No Subject Given

    microsoft mikerowesoft, you use someone elses name [or near enough] they get angry and sue. simple.

    the only real winners are the lawyers, man did we all pick the wrong careers.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    Andrew, Sep 12th, 2005 @ 12:01pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    Speak for your self! - i graduate next year :D

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    criminal lawyer, Sep 12th, 2005 @ 3:02pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    copyright lawyers ahve it the best, they are only one step away from Mad Scientists in their plots, or Robin Hood in their valient efforts to curb nefarious cormporations from taking over the world!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    sks, Sep 12th, 2005 @ 3:32pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    im applying to college right now, im gonna be pre-law major. im gonna be a lawyer!!!! its not that im a jackass or a liar or anything, i just need to get really rich really quick so then i can retire and do wtf i WANT, not what these fools tell me to. thats my goal: retirement around age 25

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 12th, 2005 @ 5:55pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    yeah, lawyers always retire young...
    really scalable income when you're paid by the hour.
    dumbass.
    good luck passing the bar if you're in CA, too!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    Dave, Sep 12th, 2005 @ 10:38pm

    For What It's Worth

    i'm pretty drunk right now so everything i have to say has truthfully got to be taken with a grain of salt. Google has been good to everyone. they've helped the open source community to the catastrophe made by Katrina. how could a organization like Google steal an email base like G-mail.... actually Gmail. it's really unbelievable to think of such a crime......

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    icon
    Daniel (profile), Sep 13th, 2005 @ 9:38am

    Re: For What It's Worth

    google has also made some people reallly realllllly rich, which is what companies are supposed to do.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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