August 18, 2006

Fighting For GoogleCheckout.com & More Google Complaints Against Others Who Registered Google-Like Domain Names

ResourceShelf has compiled sources of historical complaints Google has issued to those who have registered Google-like domain names. To do so, ResourceShelf searched through the "World Intellectual Property Organization's Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) database and the National Arbitration Forum Domain Name Dispute Proceedings and Decisions database for the information. The most recent domains to be transferred to Google's ownership include; googlecheckout.com, googlematching.com, googleoutdoors.com. More details on how to find more of these names at ResourceShelf.

Postscript From Danny: Be sure to read the complaint resolution about Google Checkout. Some highlights:

+ Respondent states that her intended business name is not "GOOGLE Checkout," which ostensibly is identical to the disputed domain name , but rather the term "Go Ogle Checkout," which Respondent contends is not. She intends to use this term in conjunction with an online dating service....

+ Further, just some six days after Respondent registered the name, the media widely reported that Complainant planned on launching its online payment service -- as indicated by the articles, a copy of which appear in Exhibit A to Complainant's Additional Submission, that appeared in, e.g., The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press.

With respect to bad faith, Complainant points to the $ 1.25 Million price at which Respondent offered the names for sale as evidencing bad faith. Complainant contends that Respondent's reply, in and of itself, to Complainant's cease and desist letter is not bad faith, rather Respondent's unsolicited offer, in response, to sell the names is. Further, once Complainant rejected this offer, Respondent then reduced her offer to $ 375,000 which again shows Respondent's bad faith....

+ 'Google' is now a verb in the dictionary. 'Go' and 'Ogle' are also generic terms in the dictionary, as is 'checkout', 'matching,' and 'outdoors.' I took three common names out of the dictionary and put them together and coincidentally they happen to spell GOOGLE in them, which is also a common word in the dictionary. Therefore, my domain names do provide a basis for distinguishing them from Complainant's mark....

+ On May 22, 2006, Complainant received a reply email (a copy of which appears in Exhibit 13 to the Complaint) from Respondent through which Respondent stated:

Hi there. I have received your email and do not actively have these domain names in use. ... I am the proud owner of these domain names and others. I am wiling to do a transfer of these domain names to the google property rights at a cost of my expenses and time and future loss of business. I would possibly be willing to accept an offer of $ 1,250,000.00 as a package deal for all three domain names....

+ Later, through an email dated May 23, 2006 (a copy of which appears in Exhibit 15), Respondent offered to sell the names to Complainant as a package deal for $375,000, and in so doing specifically stated:

I have done enough research to notice many other domain names with google's name (not owned by google) and they have active websites, making incomes off of these sites. ...

I am willing to transfer these names over without any further discussion for $ 375,000....

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:29 AM | Permalink

August 14, 2006

Googlers Go For Pizza Stunt

Via InsideGoogle, Feeding Google - Better than Pirates of the Caribbean is a video over at YouTube where start-up CambrianHouse decides to attract attention by delivering 1,000 pizzas to the Googleplex in Mountain View. Will the Googlers go for it? Yes, they do.

Will security stop the feeding frenzy? Eventually, but only after the Google chefs come out of the cafeteria to call them in. To be fair to security, from what I can tell, CambrianHouse seems to have set up in a side parking lot rather than in the middle of the Googleplex. I think that would have got security out faster.

Anyway, got better things to do than watch the video? Sure. But it's still kind of funny. More from CambrianHouse here. Can't be bothered to click on the link above to see the video? Fine -- watch it embedded below:

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 1:33 PM | Permalink

June 28, 2006

Marine Selling "Google Water" For Military Families Charity

Boing Boing links to a US Marine who just got back from Iraq. The marine posted on his blog that he began selling "Google Water" on auction to raise money for The Fisher House, an organization that helps military families in need. Google and eBay shut down his auction, "due to copyright violations," but he still has some left over Google Water. He is looking to sell them for a bottle for $500 and give that money to the Fisher House.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:11 AM | Permalink

April 28, 2006

Textile Shop In Turkey Names Itself "Google"

Someone looks like they named a store in Istanbul, Turkey "Google." An anonymous reader sent me a link to this picture of a textile store in Turkey that has the Google logo on the storefront. Is this legal? I doubt it. I wonder if the walk in rate is higher than the store next to it? How funny?

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 11:01 AM | Permalink

January 26, 2005

Part 3: Mentioning Google For Good PR

For the past few months Nathan over at InsideGoogle and I have been pointing out news releases that tout high Google rankings. Danny calls them ridiculous. Several examples are linked here.

Today, I've found a new addition to our collection. It appears that LawyerFinder.com is very happy to be in the top 10 results for a "portion" of category listings at Google and Yahoo.

Posted by Gary Price at 11:44 AM | Permalink

January 12, 2005

Part 2: Mentioning Google For Good PR

A few months ago I blogged about people mentioning their number Google position or high PageRank in press releases and on some online news sites. Nathan over at Inside Google also posted on the topic several times. The LA Times even ran a story on the topic that Danny discusses here.

Well, it looks like this silly (but fun) trend? will continue in 2005. I'll kick off the 2005 list of examples with one I spotted today. It has the editor of a UK new car web site saying a number one ranking (that he admits changes frequently) means that the site is the "most relevant source" of info on the topic:

New Car Net is all Google-eyed "Internet car guide, New Car Net, has started 2005 from the top of the search engine tree for the search term 'new cars' on Google. This ranking confirms New Car Net as the most relevant source of information on new cars in the UK." said Editor-in-Chief, Massimo Pini."

For me, "most relevant" and the number spot at Google (or for any open web/general purpose engine) are not the same thing. High quality, current and authoritative content is what's important to me and I think many researchers. Plus, as this site and and others have pointed out over the years, HIGHLY relevant results can fall well beyond the top spot of a serp.

Posted by Gary Price at 11:58 AM | Permalink

November 29, 2004

Mentioning Google For Good PR

Gary blogged earlier about ridiculous press releases that make mention of being top ranked in Google or getting a Google PageRank increase as a way to attract press attention. The LA Times has a nice, short write-up consolidating both of those absurd incidents along with another: Google Ranks High in Press Release Mentions.

At the end of the write-up is a story about Synergy Brands having its shares sore 42 percent after announcing it would be a Froogle "select merchant." Even the company's own chair describe the rise "irrational exuberance," though it rings a bit false since his own company put out the press release obviously hoping for some type of gain.

Deconstructing that press release is interesting. It says the company has been "selected" by Google to be one of "the select merchants" in Google's "soon-to-be-introduced shopping engine" Froogle. Reality check?

Google doesn't really "select" anyone for Froogle. Material is gathered from across the web if it appears ecommerce related. And if Google doesn't find you, then anyone can submit a feed. It's hardly exclusive. Or to quote from the site about getting in: "How much do I have to pay to be included in Froogle? Zip. Zero. Nada. Inclusion in Froogle is completely free. Our goal is to enable users to search over the broadest possible range of products for sale online. To do that, we include all merchants at no charge."
There is no such thing as "select merchants." Perhaps Synergy feels it is "select" by being on Froogle, but Froogle itself conveyed no such distinction to Synergy.
Froogle isn't a "soon-to-be-introduced" service. The shopping search engine was launched nearly two years ago. It remains in beta. Perhaps Synergy knows something about it being released from that status? Nope, Google tells me:

"We have not made any announcements of Froogle coming out of beta, nor is there a 'select' merchant program associated with Froogle. Synergy Brands is just another merchant submitting feeds to Froogle," said Google spokesperson Eileen Rodriguez.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 1:39 PM | Permalink

November 2, 2004

PageRank Goes From 5 to 7

Just one day after RustyBrick at Search Engine Roundtable pointed out a press release (he calls it one the funniest he's ever seen) touting the fact the trademarked term, "Simply Wow", is now top-ranked at Google, comes the following post on a trade magazine web site:

Google Boosts PageRank for Robotics Online

That's right, Robotics Online, from the Robotic Industries Association, tells members and readers that their PageRank has gone from a five to a seven. I'm wondering if they'll let everyone know if their rank goes down?

More good stuff for your "ridiculous" folder.

Posted by Gary Price at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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