Google, Unlike Zipper, Upholds Its Trademark Name

It happened to aspirin. It happened to thermos. It even happened to zipper. They all used to be specific trademark names for products, but now, they're generalized terms. 

Up to this point, Google has been able to hold on to its trademark, although the word is used generally. A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit aimed at canceling Google's trademark by arguing that "google" is now synonymous with any internet search.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday the claim ss not enough to show that people use the verb "google" generically to refer to searching the web. The lawsuit had to show that people understood "google" to mean internet search engines generally, and not just Google's search engine.

Richard Wirtz, an attorney for two men who filed the lawsuit, said the ruling further expands the wide monopoly already granted to trademark owners.

The Google trademark dispute dates to 2012 when a man registered 763 domain names that combined "google" with other words and phrases, including googledonaldtrump.com. 

Google filed a cybersquatting complaint under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy and claimed trademark infringement.


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