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It's also common to say "just google things", but I'm fairly sure (and the domain is even free!) that if I buy justgooglethings.com and setup my own search engi

by avar 5y ago

It's also common to say "just google things", but I'm fairly sure (and the domain is even free!) that if I buy justgooglethings.com and setup my own search engine there that Google will find issue with that sooner than later. The same goes for something like Lego, just because people commonly call similar plastic bricks "lego" doesn't mean that they'll get away with it if they open a store to sell those bricks.

indigochill 5y ago
> if I buy justgooglethings.com and setup my own search engine there that Google will find issue with that sooner than later. Well, LMGTFY has been a thing for as long as I can remember, but it's not a new search engine, it's just a way to snarkily direct people asking questions to Google for their answers. It's also not critical of the Google brand (and although the URL doesn't have the Google name in it, the website title does), so who knows if Google would find more issue with it if it was.
- easrng 5y ago
  It actually is a search engine now. (It uses Google Search via https://programmablesearchengine.google.com/about/ https://programmablesearchengine.google.com/about/)
squarefoot 5y ago
I seem to recall that the problem with "just google things" or LMGTFY is that if "google" becomes a verb (to google) it can't be trademarked once it becomes of common use. That's the reason many companies often issue official statements discouraging the use of their names as verbs when they see them used as such. I think Google themselves did this many years ago.
- CRConrad 5y ago
  > if "google" becomes a verb (to google) it can't be trademarked once it becomes of common use. That ship sailed years ago. Maybe someone ought to tell Google.
undersuit 5y ago
>just because people commonly call similar plastic bricks "lego" doesn't mean that they'll get away with it if they open a store to sell those bricks. But the 'store' isn't like your offbrand Google is it? It's actually probably closer to LMGTFY. They sell Legos and other blocks... and when you buy the other blocks they aren't actually called Legos.

by avar 5y ago

indigochill 5y ago

> if I buy justgooglethings.com and setup my own search engine there that Google will find issue with that sooner than later. Well, LMGTFY has been a thing for as long as I can remember, but it's not a new search engine, it's just a way to snarkily direct people asking questions to Google for their answers. It's also not critical of the Google brand (and although the URL doesn't have the Google name in it, the website title does), so who knows if Google would find more issue with it if it was.

easrng 5y ago
It actually is a search engine now. (It uses Google Search via https://programmablesearchengine.google.com/about/ https://programmablesearchengine.google.com/about/)

squarefoot 5y ago

I seem to recall that the problem with "just google things" or LMGTFY is that if "google" becomes a verb (to google) it can't be trademarked once it becomes of common use. That's the reason many companies often issue official statements discouraging the use of their names as verbs when they see them used as such. I think Google themselves did this many years ago.

CRConrad 5y ago
> if "google" becomes a verb (to google) it can't be trademarked once it becomes of common use. That ship sailed years ago. Maybe someone ought to tell Google.

undersuit 5y ago

>just because people commonly call similar plastic bricks "lego" doesn't mean that they'll get away with it if they open a store to sell those bricks. But the 'store' isn't like your offbrand Google is it? It's actually probably closer to LMGTFY. They sell Legos and other blocks... and when you buy the other blocks they aren't actually called Legos.