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Google "Loses" Gmail in Europe

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the what's-in-a-name dept.

Hippie Hippie Shake writes to mention that Google has just lost the right to use the name 'Gmail' in Europe, according to the EU. "Daniel Giersch, a German-born 32-year old entrepreneur, has just announced that his company received a positive ruling last week from the Harmonization Office supporting his claim that "Gmail" and his own "G-mail" are confusingly similar. G-mail is a German service that provides a "gmail.de" email address, but also allows for a sort of "hybrid mail" system in which documents can be sent electronically, printed out by the company, and delivered in paper format to local addresses." It looks like "Google Mail" from here on out, at least in the Old Country."

3 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. it's not that big of a deal... is it? by User+956 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Daniel Giersch, a German-born 32-year old entrepreneur, has just announced that his company received a positive ruling last week from the Harmonization Office supporting his claim that "Gmail" and his own "G-mail" are confusingly similar.

    That's not something a few hundred million dollars can't fix.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  2. Good for him! by posterlogo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...because he legitimately had use of the G-mail term in advance. But if he's smart, he'll either capitalize on the name recognition and make a really nice mail portal system, or sell to Google. Providing a somehow "inferior" product under that name might not work out so well in the long run.

  3. well, how nice by oohshiny · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Daniel Giersch, a German-born 32-year old entrepreneur, has just announced that his company received a positive ruling last week from the Harmonization Office supporting his claim that "Gmail" and his own "G-mail" are confusingly similar.

    So when his rather stupid venture tanks (several people have tried his kind of service before), he can at least get some money for the domain name.