Tag: google

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News Trademarks

Google files ‘Spot’ trademark, registers domains for programming [UPDATED]

Google

Updated November 30, 2011 at 5:39am EST:  Google has now apparently acquired the domain name GoogleSpot.com through MarkMonitor.  According to WHOIS records, the name switched hands on November 28.  While MarkMonitor is listed as the registrant, Google regularly uses the brand protection service to secure domains.

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Looks like Google may have some sort of plan for its own programming language called ‘Spot’.

The search engine giant has filed a trademark application for ‘Spot’ according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

The filing (Serial Number: 85403946) took place on August 22, 2011 and covers computer programs and downloadable computer programs that implement an object-oriented computer programming language.

At the same time Google was filing the trademark, it registered several domain names.

The registrations include domains such as spotlang.com, spotlanguage.net, spot-lang.com, and spot-lang.net.

Registrant:
        DNS Admin
        Google Inc.
        1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
         Mountain View CA 94043
        US

         Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
        Registrar Homepage: http://www. markmonitor.com

    Created on…………..: 2011-08-22.
    Expires on…………..: 2013-08-22.
    Record last updated on..: 2011-08-23.

Discussion: Engadget, Y Combinator, 9to5Google and Meneame

Categories
News

Google unveils AccountChooser.com: Next-gen web sign in with OpenID

Account Chooser

Google joined the OpenID Foundation in 2008, which provides free technology to eliminate the need for multiple user names across the web by using an OpenID.

In late July, Eric Sachs a Product Manager for the Google Security team and the counterpart to Google’s CIO, registered the domain names AccountChooser.com and AccountChooser.net. 

Google’s Internet Identity Research team has been busy working on this project for months.

This week, the Account Chooser web site quietly went live, as shown in the picture above.  Account Chooser, is an industry technique to improve the user experience for logging into a website. 

“An open standard and user interface guidelines for the next generation of web sign in”, reads the slogan printed across the top of the home page.

According to a blog posted on OpenID’s website this week, “Account Chooser” will be introducted at the “Connect Tech” Summit being held September 12-13, 2011.

Discussion: TechCrunch and Y Combinator

Categories
News Trademarks

It’s official: Google owns Photovine.com

Google Photovine

Just over a week ago, on June 18, I wrote about Google filing a trademark application for “Photovine” and speculated that the company owned the domain name, photovine.com, after the Whois records switched to MarkMonitor and DNStination from its previous owner.

Now it’s official — Google owns the domain, photovine.com. 

On June 23, the Whois record started showing Google as the owner.

Registrant:
        DNS Admin
        Google Inc.
        1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
         Mountain View CA 94043
        US

    Domain Name: photovine.com

        Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
        Registrar Homepage: http://www. markmonitor.com

 Created on…………..: 2004-10-28.
    Expires on…………..: 2013-10-28.
    Record last updated on..: 2011-06-23.

    Domain servers in listed order:

    gdm1.photovine.com
    gdm0.photovine.com

You might also notice that the domain has its own nameservers, right now though, no other domain names are located there.

Google has not officially announced anything about Photovine, however there has been a lot of online discussion about what the service may be, based on the trademark application.

As of today, a message on the website simply reads: Nothing to see here, move along.

Discussion: The Next Web

Categories
News Technology Trademarks

Google set to launch Photovine? It applied for the trademark, now it owns the matching domain name

 Google logo

Google applied for a trademark on “Photovine” on June 7 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

As of June 14, it appears Google owns photovine.com.  The company appears to have taken ownership of the domain name from Matthew Gibson, who had previously owned the name since January 2010 according to WHOIS records.

Although it doesn’t say on the WHOIS records that Google owns the domain, Google like many large companies uses MarkMonitor and DNStination, privacy and brand protection services.

Registrant:
        Domain Administrator
        DNStination Inc.
        303 Second Street Suite 800N
         San Francisco CA 94107

Domain Name: photovine.com

        Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
        
Created on…………..: 2004-10-28.
    Expires on…………..: 2013-10-28.
    Record last updated on..: 2011-06-13.

I had reached out yesterday to Matthew Gibson (the previous owner) for a statement and to learn more about the negotiations, but I haven’t heard anything at the time of this story.

So what exactly is Photovine? 

Very little is known at this time, outside of the trademark  application the company filed earlier this month.  In 2004, Google acquired Picasa, a photo software and sharing service. 

But is Google planning to take on Apple’s iCloud Photo Stream service?

Here’s a look at the trademark filing:

Word Mark  PHOTOVINE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Computer software
IC 038. US 100 101 104. G & S: Communication services, namely, transmission of visual images and data by telecommunications networks, wireless communication networks, the Internet, information services networks and data networks

IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: Non-downloadable computer software

IC 045. US 100 101. G & S: On-line social networking services
 
Standard Characters Claimed 
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 85340503
Filing Date June 7, 2011
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Google Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View CALIFORNIA 94043
Attorney of Record Andrew Abrams
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

Discussion:  Engadget, TechMeme, Digital Trends, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Business Insider, The Next Web and Techie Buzz.

Categories
Disputes News Trademarks WIPO

WIPO Roundup: Google, Autotrader, Wikimedia, and other interesting disputes

Got Milk Funny Tshirt

Nearly 1,000 domain disputes have been filed with WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, since the beginning of 2011, with many cases getting attention across the web like the case of Facebook which filed a complaint over 21 separate domains and won.   

Here’s a look at some of the more recent disputes filed that include companies ranging from Google to The California Milk Processor Board which filed a complaint over the domain name momgotmilk.com.

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft – gea.com
GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, one of the largest system providers for food and energy processes with about EUR 4.4 billion revenue in 2010 according to its website has filed a domain dispute over the three-letter domain name gea.com.  Gea.com was first registered back in 1995 and is currently owned by G.E.A Design.  The complainant uses geagroup.com for its company website.  Although it may seem impossible that the company could win gea.com, you will be surprised.  In 2003, GEA Group won the three-letter domain gea.biz. 

TPI Holdings, Inc. – autotrade.com
Autotrader.com and Auto Trader are trademarks of TPI Holdings, Inc.  TPI Holdings is no stranger to WIPO having filed nearly two dozen cases since 2000 with most involving the keyword “trader”, not “trade”.  Its most recent cases came in 2010 when it won the transfer of autotraderleaseguide.com, cycletradermagazine.com, and cycletradermagazines.com.  Well known domain investor Garry Chernoff is the current owner of autotrade.com.  Garry Chernoff made headlines in 2011 with top dollar sales including gamesforgirls.com at $500,000 and bluejeans.com for $150,000.

The California Milk Processor Board – momgotmilk.com
The California Milk Processor Board is the owner of the Got Milk? trademark.   The CA Milk Processor Board currently owns about 40 domain names according to DomainTools, which include gotmilkchocolate.com and cowabduction.com.  It also owns and operates gotmilk.com, a website that receives thousands of visitors a month according to Compete.  In 2010 the CA Milk Processor Board won a number of domain names after the respondent failed to reply.  Among the names handed over were gotalmondmilk.com and gotnutmilk.com.

Wikimedia Foundation Inc. and Google Inc.
Unlike the cases of autotrade.com and gea.com, Wikimedia and Google seem to  have more legitimate claims.  Wikimedia is going after the domains wikiipedia.org, wikipediia.org, and wikippedia.org.  Google is going after ad-words.mobi.  Wikimedia won cases earlier this year over additional typo domains wekipedia.com and wikkipedia.org.  A rough estimate by Compete, shows that 2 of the 3 typos actually get traffic in the hundreds each month.

To see some of the latest WIPO UDRP cases, visit the WIPO website.