Google sued by Chinese company Guge
It sounds like a joke from a bad Onion cartoon, but we assure this is no fib. Beijing Guge Science and Technology Ltd, a company of somewhat unclear intentions, has brought suit against Google. The Chinese company contends that Google’s Chinese transliteration, Guge, is identical to a facet of their own legal name. Beijing Guge Science and Technology Ltd is demanding that Google change its legal name. A spokesman for the Chinese company, Tian Yushan, went on the record as saying, "We just want Google to change their commercial name." Piece of cake, right? Never mind that Google’s Chinese services are censored beyond recognition, this seems just a bit, umm, ridiculous, no?
Wow what a stupid lawsuit although we can think of some other company that’s been in a lot of those lately…Sony.
First to post O YEA!!!!
China plays with itself too much…
not so far fetched…..imagine a 20 year-old foreign company whose foreign legal name pronounced exactly like the english word “pepsi”. this company comes over to good ol usa and uses the name “pepsi” (in english) and advertises its products on all major news paper, TV/radio waves and, gosh, the internet. let’s see if the pepsi cola don’t get upset over it.
Not true.
Tian Yunshan, company secretary for Beijing Guge Science and Technology said that he applied the use of the business name 北京谷歌科技有限公司 (Beijing Guge Science and Technology) in March 2006, and opened business on April 19, 2006, said the Beijing News according to Joel Martinsen of Danwei.
Google filed as early as January 2006 trademark applications in a variety of areas to register 谷歌信息技术（中国）有限公司 (Gu Ge) with China’s Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), Google China said.
So it is Google first, Guge second and Guge also does not want to review their business.
Furthermore, trademark is higher in hierachy than business name.