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Disputes National Arbitration Forum News Trademarks Video Games

Google files a complaint over the GooglePlay.com domain name

Google Play

Google introduced Google Play earlier this week and one of the key missing pieces for the online launch was the domain name GooglePlay.com.  That’s because the name has been owned by someone else and not the search engine giant for years.

But Google isn’t wasting any time trying to get the domain name to go with its new entertainment hub.  A complaint (Case No. 1432449) has now officially been filed with the National Arbitration Forum.

Google submitted a trademark application (Serial Number: 85560994) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on March 5, 2012, one day before officially announcing the launch of Google Play on its official blog.

The goods and services in the trademark filing cover:

computer software for transmission and display of digital content, audio works, visual works, audiovisual works, electronic publications, books, movies, and music; computer software for browsing and accessing digital content, computer software, computer games, audio works, visual works, audiovisual works, electronic publications, books, movies, and music

online retail store services featuring digital content, computer software programs, computer games, audio works, visual works, audiovisual works, electronic publications, books, movies, and music

providing temporary use of non-downloadable computer software for browsing and accessing digital content, computer software programs, audio works, visual works, audiovisual works, electronic publications, books, movies, and movies; providing temporary use of non-downloadable computer software for transmission and display of digital content, audio works, visual works, audiovisual works, electronic publications, books, movies, and music

Today, GooglePlay.com is owned by a resident of Japan according to Whois records.  The site displays third party ads in Japanese.

Google uses play.google.com as its online destination and is most certainly bleeding traffic to GooglePlay.com.

In order for the name to be transferred to Google, the National Arbitration Forum Panel will determine if the disputed domain meets the following three elements required under the ICANN policy:

(1) the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark in which the complainant has rights
(2) the owner has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name and;
(3) the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith. 

As I reported at the beginning of the month, Google registered a slew of googleplay domain names in late February through the brand protection company MarkMonitor, but missing in the list was googleplay.com.

Discussion: The Next Web, Techmeme, Electronista, NU.nl, Marketing Land, WebProNews and Softpedia

8 replies on “Google files a complaint over the GooglePlay.com domain name”

This proves that the theory of “The Future Will be in Sub-Domains” that Rick came up with in Jan2012 is flase. This is what I hate about blogs, sometimes people just blog for the sake of blogging regardless to wether the information was true or false. Afterall, I am still a fan of Rick’s blog, I just never treat the blog posts like a holy book.

*sighs* You know, Google knows better, but I presume they are hoping their name, their money, their perceived influence, and whatever charms they use will leave  a panelist or two at the NAF Googley-eyed; some poor sot in Japan could be spending a great deal to defend the domain name they own.

Admittedly, though, the name was only set up, according to the WHOIS record, in 2010. That leaves open the great likelihood someone is playing off the Google name, else they would have set up GoogolPlay.com and called it “a math site with virtually infinite possibilities”. Well, that’s about as clever as I get today.

I have no great love for the behemoth Google has become, and as much as I sometimes feel my inadequacy in the face of such online giants, I also know just when and how far (most of the time) to play my hand before crossing any boundary. GooglePlay.com is crossing a boundary, in my not-so-humble opinion. 

Of course, the question I have is why Google doesn’t believe strongly enough in their new gaming launch to just offer a few Yen for the damned name.  I suppose billions of dollars are available only after someone else does the work.  That’s good business math for you.  😉

Actually, the page displayed is an “error” page, probably from the hosting company…

“Don’t be evil”. Yes, sure. They’re now more evil than Microsoft. They claim to be open source, but I sill haven’t had access to their search algorithm.

What bothers me a lot is their hypocrite attitude. They treat us like idiots. But what bothers me more are people who are cheering their “new” products, and those who don’t like Google is compared with Microsoft.

I cheers the Twitter’s attitude of don’t work with Google anymore.

Google is like a leech, they work with a partner only to steal information about that market:
– They work with Apple and… they betrayed Apple making Android.
– They work with FireFox (and still) and… they betrayed Mozilla making their own browser.
– Nor talk about AdSense, where nobody knows what percentage of the CPC is distributed to publishers.

And one more thing, they don’t have any idea about User Experience. I’ve always said that Google products are made by engineers for engineers. Their products are sometimes difficult to understand, in the sense that’s hard to find the options you’re looking for.

Earlier I criticized Facebook about their User Experience, but kids have learned very fast, they did a good job in this field. I remember when the setting was a hell.

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