[kictanet] US Supreme Court asked to nullify the Google trademark

[Ahmed Mohamed Maawy]

I think its quite unfair to have a company like Google who have built a
brand name that went all the way to be "generisized" to actually not be
given the right to trademark. So what implications does it have then to
their company? I mean.. you can't just say someone set up a company and
called it "Sufuria".

Plus also Google is not just search but a varierty of products. All
unrelated to Search. But the implications of this are even further than
this. Does it mean that when you open DuckDuckGo or MSN search youd end up
seeing "DuckDuckGo Google" or "MSN Google"?

To make matters worse lets not even think about Google to begin with and
start thinking about what people will say about "Alphabet"... :D


On Mon, Aug 21, 2017 at 3:45 PM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Listers
>
> Interesting development.
>
> Is the term "google" too generic and therefore unworthy of its trademark
> protection? That's the question before the US Supreme Court.
>
> Words like teleprompter, thermos, hoover, aspirin, and videotape were once
> trademarked. They lost the status after their names became too generic and
> fell victim to what is known as "genericide."
>
> What's before the Supreme Court is a trademark lawsuit that Google already
> defeated in a lower court. The lawsuit claims that Google should no longer
> be trademarked because the word "google" is synonymous to the public with
> the term "search the Internet."
>
> US Supreme Court asked to nullify the Google trademark
> <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/08/supreme-court-asked-to-nullify-the-google-trademark/>
>
> What are the implications in the Kenyan context?
>
> Have you heard guys using Airtel Money saying 'Mpesa me please?' :-)
>
> Should governments even think about this? It's ludicrous that we are even
> discussing this.. :-)
>
> *Ali Hussein*
>
> *Principal*
>
> *Hussein & Associates*
>
>
>
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-- 
*Ahmed Maawy*
Head of Corporate Products - Al Jazeera Media Network
Skype: ultimateprogramer
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