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
