Gmail Domain Dispute For Google in China

[engine]

Google, fighting to consolidate its trademark globally, faces an obstacle in the world's second largest Web market -- China's www.Gmail.cn, which is refusing to sell its Internet address to the U.S. giant.

A legal source told Reuters on Monday that Google was trying to buy the Internet domain name www.gmail.cn, which is run by Beijing-based ISM Technologies.

Gmail Domain Dispute For Google in China [uk.reuters.com]

[vincevincevince]

It seems Google should have done a lot more research before deciding on gmail as the service name. Googlemail would have been just as easy to remember and they would have had no problems with trademarks and preexisting sites.

[Gomvents]

I was actually running a service called GMail for my clients back starting in 2001, which I think was before Google... I should have grabbed the domain if it was free back then done something to protect the name

[edited by: Gomvents at 1:34 pm (utc) on Feb. 27, 2007]

[rogerd]

I don't think it's viable that Apple asserts ownership of everything that starts with "i", Google wants "g", etc. These are simply too obvious and almost guaranteed to run into conflicts (as iPhone just did). Google's got a unique, well-recognized trademark in their name. If they standardized on GoogleMail, for example, they's eliminate all these pesky disputes and boost their primary brand in the process.

[kaled]

I just read in an email (so I can't offer a link) that a UK company is going after GMAIL in the US - it is alleged that Google used some underhand tactics in their application - effectively predating it so that the application appeared to be made before it really was.

Kaled.

[ispy]

Everyone has a price. Google just needs to stop being so stingy.

[the_el_man]

After a certain date, in the UK all gmail accounts are GoogleMail accounts.

Although I was on early I'm still @gmail but when I log on it says Google Mail.

Your right they shouldd just stick with GoogleMail.com .cn or whatever