Google: Take Down This Parody Site

[garyp]

Google puts the hammer down on Google parodies
Source: arstechnica
http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/20040904-4158.html

Is this the end of unofficial Google sites?

Google has apparently contacted at least one website that was hosting a Google parody and demanded that they take it down. A Belgian parody of Google (cached here) was apparently unfunny to the Google Team, who sent a takedown notice claiming that the parody diluted the value of their trademark.. Google argued that the parody site was violating its trademark because it has a similar domain name (goegel.be), similar layout, and acts as a search engine.

A copy of the C&D letter is here:
http://www.goegel.be/


The author of the arstechnica writes,

If Microsoft did this, half of the planet would explode. Don't be evil, mm'kay!

[cariboo]

Google team lost their sense of humour ?

Well, there is no doubt this belgian site was infringing several laws about trademarks. But it is perhaps a sign Google will more and more act as a "normal" international company.

They still have an astonishing capital of sympathy among webmasters, but this is a situation that is likely to change quickly if they prosecute people like these belgian jokers...

[I, Brian]

At the end of the day, though, Google is a business that has a right to protect it's trademark.

After all, it's surely not right to allow other people to use your trademark - and especially not if making any kind of money on it?

Oh - poo - that's what Geica just told Google and Overture.

[cariboo]

You mean Geico ?

Google seems to have many problems with the trademarks of insurance companies : AXA, a french insurance company, is prosecuting Google for the same reasons...