Google Loses Domain Name Lawsuit
Many different sites have tried to court the fame and success of the World’s most popular search engine by creating a domain name and even an entire brand around a similar theme to Google’s. However, Google is quick to deter people by launching lawsuits at everyone and anyone who has tried to imitate their name too closely. The result of a court case this week in the Canadian courts is one of the only two examples where Google have launched such a lawsuit and not actually won.
The site named ‘Groovle’ is run by a small Canadian company and although the sites main focus is in allowing users to upload images to create customised web home pages, there is also a search engine function included which Google believed was fair ground to challenge the site, claiming the Groovle name was too similar to its own well established brand.
However, the Canadian courts overturned Google’s request to have the domain handed to them after a panel of judges decided that there was no confusion resulting in the companies having reasonably similar names. The judges believed the domain name had more in common with the word Groovy than with Google itself. The website had previously been up and running for over two years before Google had any interest in the company.
Google previously lost a case in 2004 against Richard Wolfe and his website, froogles.com after another panel reached a similar conclusion. However, considering that Google have filed 63 similar cases in the companies’ lifetime and only 2 have failed to go through, it’s safe to say most of the time Google certainly gets its way when it comes to websites with overly similar names.
What do you think? Should Groovle have had their domain handed to Google or should Google be slightly less protected over what is already one of the best known and instantly recognisable brands in the modern world?
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