In the suit, Google maintains that it is the "senior user of marks that incorporate the formative " -- OOGLE" for Internet search services." That's news to the principal of a company that owns the domain name oogle.com, who yesterday said he had "not heard a peep" from Google.[sun-sentinel.com...]
Yeah, right. This is a perfect example of corporate muscle being used to bully down the little guy. They keep this up and we cna start calling them Ghoulgle
WBF
Why don't they buy this guy off? He'll take soem money and start with a new name. They knew or should've known that the name was already registered when Froogle was launched. This is pure scummy. Let's hope the family of the guy who came up with "Google" first sues them now, and uses their argument against them. Google can't have it both ways.
I hope the guy wins and forces Froogle to change its name (or pay up).
froogles Google big difference.
froogles froogle very similar
Froogles where there first so why should google be allowed to get a TM on it?
I did a search through the US patent office and fond a tm already existed for froogles.com
This will be interesting.
Mack.
This makes me sick, and yet also happy that I don't use Poo-gle that much anymore.
But I think to adhere to the "do no evil" working practices that they claim to operate under they have to understand that there are a finite number of pronouncable, short English sounding names that have to be shared amoungst a vast number of businesses and individuals. Going after those that are not trading on the back of google branding in this way will create nothing but ill feeling towards them.
I can understand partially why google is going after xyzoogle.com style domains.
Yeah but if they weren't smart enough to foreplan what domain names they wanted, then they shouldn't whine later on - tough titty that they weren't smart enough to register it before someone else did - you focus on your product and move on...
If they want those domain names, offer to buy them from the current owners, and any such other domains they might want, they should go ahead and buy them for $7.95 each from GoDaddy or wherever they get them from.
I wonder if in becoming an ICANN accredited registrar they were under the pre-supposition that they would automatically win such domain names - think again bums!
How can you retroactively "cybersquat" a product that was yet to exist?
This is pale by comparison to Radio Shack going after every company on the planet with the word "shack" in their name as if Rib Shack would ever be confused with an electronics store.
Silly shakedown story time...
My main domain is actually my last name which I registered in '96 before most people knew the internet existed. A year later some jerk with a trademarked company name that included my last name, taken in part from the city his company resides in like "xyzcityname company inc.", from a city actually named after one of my relatives in the 1800s, had the nerve to try to shake my domain down about 6 years ago.
I probably didn't have a legal leg to stand on but I pointed out he could trademark anything he wanted but my using my family name didn't constitute "cyber squatting" and I had the genealogy to prove in fact HE was squatting on my family name which the city adopted from one of my relatives in the 1800s. No clue what his lawyer told him but I never heard from them again.
I sincerely hope that they loose, for the better good of the entire internet.
I agree. Not cool.
you are familiar with the itunes uk case?
Wow... it would seem apparent that the internet is becoming more cut-throat by the day - I'm glad to be gradually moving out of this industry!
Why froogle? does it make sense to open a site on a very similar domain to a site that operates within the same industry as froogle?
What then gives then the right to try and stake legal claim to it. I can only imagine Google would be sure to take action to protect them selfes if another company where to aquire "googl" and operate it as a search engine. One leter less.. same as they are doign with froogles.
I just dont think Google are very good at choosing names for their services.
Froogle: as this thread points out.
Gmail: there was already an open source email application called gmail long before Google mail appeared on the scene.
I have a fear however that will come down to who has the biggest wallet.
Mack.
they're dozens of high profile, international companies that have the same name as me (kinda unique name;). I have myfirstname.com. Registered it since 1996 and only one (Swiss co) has asked me politely if I was willing to give to them. I said no.
All I have is a paragraph or two there now, but who knows what I'll do in the future. I explain that it is not for sale, and that this is my first name, not registered for any other reason. I hope Google doesn't introduce a new service or something with my name :)
these jerks (sorry but they are acting like it) have no respect for anyone else, that's all. Just like MSFT. They pick a name and go with it. Too bad if it's yours. They'll drive you into bankruptcy trying to defend your name.
Did you know that someone owned "Internet Explorer" too? [news.com.com...] . At least MSFT paid for it. Google can easily offer him $50-$100K in stock for the name, or simply leave him alone.
Seriously, $325.00 isn't that much for a lottery ticket considering most people buy $5 quick picks it's equivalent to 65 $5 quick picks with a better chance of winning :)
BTW, I've won 5 out of 6 on a lottery ticket once, so I know something about the "chances of winning". They almost had to cart me off to the ER at the point when I thought I had $20M for about 15 seconds before the fact that the last number didn't match sunk in and that was almost a separate cardiac related ER event in itself. Before I get a bunch of sticky mail it only paid about $1,500 as the 5 out of 6 prize pool had over 100 winners.
On the flipside, they almost had to cart me off to the ER from anfer when I found some idiot stole my content and made 10 clones of my web site - but he was a winning lottery ticket >:)
These following came up (with no indication of "back order" or other reserved / registered status)...
ABUSEGOOGLE - could be like a "sucks" site
AUCTIONGOOGLE - self explanatory
AUCTIONGOOGLER - one who does the above
AVGOOGLE - Audio/Video search?
ACTINGGOOGLE - to act greedy and hastily
BARGOOGLE - ICANN disposition
BETTERGOOGLE - Yahoo? MSN? New kid on block?
BIBLEGOOGLE - who they gonna sue on this one?
BINGOOGLE - Osama's evil cousin's SE
BLANKGOOGLE - after everyone bans the bot
BOOBLEGOOGLE - search for Jewish grandmothers
BRITNEYGOOGLE - pop princess of SE's
BROTHERGOOGLE - defrocked: searching for little boys
BUYGOOGLESTOCK - the "short" story soon?
CHIGOOGLE - I think it's in Illinooogle
COMMONGOOGLE - seen one greedy corporation, seen em all
COOLGOOGLE - only a memory?
DARKGOOGLE - Luke Skywalker's father's SE
DEARGOOGLE - (being sued by Dear Abbey's estate)
DOGGYGOOGLE - Position #86 (#1 is MISSIONARYGOOGLE)
DOMAINGOOGLER - what I am being right now
So much fun, so little time...
Back to work!
You can see that they were a shopping site for almost one year before Google launched their "Froogle" product.
I say that Froogles.com should counter-sue Google for any monies they may have made through their "Froogle" service, and be forced to give froogle.com to Froogles.com :)
Owens-Corning owns a trademark on all pink insulation.
UPS owns the color "UPS Brown" (Pantone 0607298).
Cadbury claims a trademark on the color purple [ipaustralia.gov.au].
The color yellow is a granted trademark of Mr. LongArm (a boom company) [fury.com].
Tiffany Blue, GI JOE green and Barbie pink are also trademarked.
Based on previous WIPO and NAF decisions, Google will win.
Doesn't Google also have a claim on multi-colored text for logos?
I vaguely remember that they C&D anyone trying to use multi-colored text.
I ask most of my customers how they located me. Never once has one replied Froogle. I figure the same sort of shopper that shops Amazon would also shop Froogle. I don't get orders from Froogle but I get them from Amazon. Froogle doesn't work... yet. Quit doing evil and start building a better product.
And leave that man in NY alone.
Maybe the owner froogles.com should jump on this too and claim trademark infringement of froogles!
foogle.com.au
froogles.com.au
giigle.com.au
goggles.com.au
goofle.com.au
goog.com.au
googlee.com.au
googles.com.au
googlr.com.au
