Cameron Collie of Groggle.com recently received a C and D letter from Google asking him to cease using the name, domain, and trademark Groggle.com as it is similar to their company’s name Google. While I am all for stopping all trademark infringement, I this one is right on the fence. Here is Cameron’s post
Today I have received a cease and desist letter from Google over the use of my company name Groggle Pty Ltd, our domain Groggle.com.au and our registration of the trademark for the word ‘Groggle’ with IP Australia
Just wondering of anyone else has received a letter like this from Google and, if so, how they went about contesting it?
As a fledgling startup we hardly have the financial resources to fight Google on this and feel as though they are being a little hard given that the ‘infringement’ on their trademark is dubious at best.
I cannot see that anyone would mistake our website for a Google product which is the point of their argument.
Keen to hear everyone’s thoughts.
Cheers
Cameron
An alcohol “search engine” may be his problem here. No doubt he was thinking of Google when he registered the name. I think he may be in trouble. Anyone else have an opinion on this one.
I don’t see Google winning this. Groogle, yes, but not Groggle.
i for one, would like to donate $50 if it would ever go to court. This case should be a lesson to all the big companioes trying to fetch domain names just because they are huge…
my 2 drunk cents
This is ridiculous, Groggle is nothing like Google it doesn’t even sound the same.
This is getting real bad as these giants like apple and google start stamping on the small entrepreneur for anything that may most teany meany bit of the letters in like in google.
It is about time that some protection was given by governments to this sort of bullying by cash flushed bullies.
I guess if anyone tries having things like “goggles” or boggles which are normal English words will also get bullied. I guess the time will come when these bullies will try and get legislation to stop anyone even uttering the words as patent infringement.
Has anyone felt helpless.
Wilf Staton