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Engadget article: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10043212 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10043212 --- ...the Internet domain alphabet.com, as well
by stephengillie 11y ago
Engadget article: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10043212 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10043212
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...the Internet domain alphabet.com, as well as the trademark Alphabet, already belonged to someone else — namely, the German automaker BMW. And if they had dialed BMW headquarters in Munich, they would have discovered something else: BMW does not want to sell.
Well that's embarrassing. Good thing they launched with abc.xyz.
But wait...
Just because one company uses a name does not mean another company cannot use it. Trademark infringement occurs if another company’s use could create confusion with consumers, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
- Zigurd 11y agoGood thing one of them is a car company...
- nemo 11y agoBMW noticed Google's pushing into the (self-driving) car business. That's what their trademark complaint's based on.
- rahulravu96 11y agoits BMW ... not a patent troll ..
- dragonwriter 11y ago> BMW noticed Google's pushing into the (self-driving) car business. Kind of hard not to. > That's what their trademark complaint's based on. BMW hasn't filed a trademark complaint. They haven't even indicated that they think that there is a violation. They have said they are looking into whether any infringement has taken place, which is many miles short of having a complaint.
- kyrra 11y agoBut Alphabet is a holding company of sorts. I don't think we'll be seeing "Alphabet self driving cars". Google's efforts on self driving cars will probably continue to be branded under Google or will get its own branding name.
- jonlucc 11y agoBut wouldn't Alphabet's cars be called something else?
- stephengillie 11y agoTo which holding company named "Alphabet" are you referring? Google's or BMW's?
- jonlucc 11y agoBoth, but I meant Google's Alphabet's cars.