Google are denied Gmail trademark in Europe

[techtronic]

Google has once again been thwarted in its bid to trademark "Gmail" in the European Union because of a similar trademark in Germany. The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) has just published a ruling made last month, dismissing Google's appeal of the original decision against the company. Instead, the trademark for "G-mail" remains securely in the hands of Daniel Giersch, who has run an e-mail service with the name since 2000.

The case started back in 2004 when Google first launched Gmail and applied for trademarks worldwide. In 2005, Giersch filed an opposition to Google's application on the grounds that the trademarks were nearly identical, as were the services they represented. Giersch won his case last year, due to the visual, verbal, and aural similarity, not to mention that Giersch's mark had already been protected in Germany.

Source : http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...rk-office.html

[CadCrazy]

So does that means gmail is inaccessible in EU ?

[slugger]

Originally Posted by CadCrazy

So does that means gmail is inaccessible in EU ?

arre nahi bha!!!

it means that anybody can use the gmail name for anything - gmail bra, gmail toilet cleaner, gmail tongue cleaner and the google guys cant take them to court for it

[ico]

Gmail is already Google Mail in UK and Germany......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gmail#Trademark_disputes

[NucleusKore]

^yes, even the pop, smtp and imap servers use the domain googlemail.com

[nvidia]

Are they going to change the domain name in all the countries or only in Europe?

[ico]

^^ They can't get the name Gmail trademarked in whole of the Europe because it is already trademarked in Germany & UK.

But surely they are having it trademarked in other European countries. This news article is just saying that Google can't own the European trademark for Gmail.......

[Voldy]

hmmm. trademark dispute

Originally Posted by slugger

it means that anybody can use the gmail name for anything - gmail bra, gmail toilet cleaner, gmail tongue cleaner and the google guys cant take them to court for it

lol nice way to explain