Be careful how you use the word google

Did anyone see this article in the Seattle times?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003178630_google06.html

I find the end of the article the most interesting part "What is beyond debate is the fact that Google's trademark complaint arrived via a hand-addressed letter in the actual mail."

 

What legal justification do they have to do this? People aren't using the word "google" for their own brand, they are using it in everyday speech. I realize the impact this usage has for their brand, but I don't understand what they can legally do against it.

 

Woow Intresting article thanks

 

Wow.

How detached is google fromr reality ? You can't control how people express themselves, muchless on the internet.

Plus it's much more natural to say , " I was doing some googling the other day about ..." instead of "I was using the Google search engine the other day to look up ..."

 

Yeah it doesn't make much since to me either, i just thought it was funny that they sent a hand written letter.

 

Hehe. I guess they are serious about not using the name eh?

 

nice article...

 

nice and funny article, thanks

 

Well i think that google is going a bit extreme on this. It's bad publicity.

 

Welcome i though everyone would enjoy it

 

google has been going down hill for the past year or so. This is insane

 

Google is protecting their trademark. They have to, to prevent "Google" from becoming a generic term for "find on the internet". Theoretically, they could lose their trademark if they don't protect it vigorously. Competitors could then call their search products "Google".

For example, a company at one time had a trademark on the term "Escalator". They lost their exclusive use of the term, because it became synonymous with the product. Blogged more about it here.

 

they should be happy that people are using there branding name so freely and frequently. the are getting there advertising for free that way.

 

To repeat what I already asked: What legal justification do they have for going after this?

 

Their legal justification is that under US trademark law if they don't take efforts to defend their trademark then they will LOOSE the rights to this trademark. Whether they actually MEAN what they say in the legal letters is beside the point, the fact is the law says they have to protect their trademark.

In this instance, I can imagine the Google founders grinding their teeth in fustration that they have to issue idiotic legal letters for using the term google in a VERY positive way.

Don't blame Google, blame the US trademark laws.

Once again, lawyers triumph over common sense

 

I guess no one here knows what actual legal justification they have for these mails.

 

Clearly, it's US Trademark Law.

If they loose their trademark, then you'd be googling on Yahoo, and soon, Google will decline. When you build a brand you need to defend it. This is nothing different the GEICO going after Google for charging them to defend their name in Adword ads. It costs a lot of money to make a brand, and you can loose the asset if you don't defend it.

If you think about it, it's not really much different then locking your front door to keep thieves out.

 

I think google has realized it's own deification, and they are now just having fun...

This coupled with sending the blogger who had a headache over some google product aspirin...

I'm just glad to see they still have a sense of humor... If anything googles absolute lack of care about their trademark, Note the million google adsense sites up, shows that this is a prank

 

Did you read this?

I guess not.

 

They can write letters telling people to cease and desist, as they did to The Washington Post. That's the first step. If the recipient of the letter doesn't cease and desist, they can then file a civil lawsuit for damages. The damages are likely very serious amounts of money.