Gmail Becomes Google Mail in the UK

akadruid writes "As of today, UK Gmail users are seeing 'Google Mail' at the top of their Gmail accounts, and Google is warning they may lose their '@gmail.com' addresses in the future. All new signups from the UK will be assigned '@googlemail.com' addresses, and existing accounts will be able to use either domain for now. Gmail's help pages explain this is related to their ongoing dispute regarding the Gmail trademark."

It's nice to see this

[Kawahee]

As much as I think people are going to hate it and find it inconvenient, it's nice to see Google handling this without any backstabbing and lawyers and the like. Unlike Microsoft which is going to muscle the "Windows Vista" name through IPO despite the fact that "Vista Windows" and "Vista Blinds" already have a very similiar name registered, and their office is just down the adjoining road from 1 Microsoft Way.

Re:I work internationally

[FinestLittleSpace]

if you already have one you don't 'lose' the address. I'm a UK user and it's still @gmail.com ....

I am worried that they may be forced to change ALL addresses to googlemail thjough..

Re:IIIR used the gmail name since 2002

[Threni]

> Google should have checked this stuff out before rolling aout the name around the
> world.

They're not rolling it out - Gmail is still in beta.

Abbreviation

[notthe9]

I really don't see why the gmail.com URL cannot just be an abbreviation of the name of the service: Google Mail. If this company wanted gmail.com, they should have bought it. They did not, leaving it up to any kind of service to legally use it with their own, non-infringing service.

No more changing your email

[alexo]

> I'd hate to have to go to all the websites I visit and change my stored address AGAIN...
> when this time I wouldn't be getting anything new for all the bother

Given the rock bottom prices of domain names [yahoo.com] nowadays, you should never have to change your email address again.

Switching domain is never good.

[Destoo]

Our email service stays the same no matter what the logo is or what follows the @ symbol. This change lets our team focus their time on continuing to bring you excellent service.

It may not seem like much, but we lost a lot of business when the address @ibm.net switched to @attglobal.net

Same would happen with a change from @gmail.com to anything longer.

Privacy issues?

[zonix]

Hmm. If Google have to give up gmail.com, then whoever gets the domain instead would be able to receive a shit load of people's private e-mails?

z

I actually prefer @googlemail.com

[Phantasmagoria]

I actually prefer @googlemail.com. Firstly, every time I say @gmail.com over the phone or even in person to someone, half the time they hear @email.com, and I have to repeat myself. Plus, I suspect @googlemail.com will be much easier to remember, since most people I know (who have email) recognize the google name. Since it seems anything to @googlemail.com will be redirected to @gmail.com (or they are the same, whatever), I'll start using @googlemail.com from now on in my documents and conversations.

Re:Abbreviation

[Comboman]

If this company wanted gmail.com, they should have bought it.

They're only operating in the UK so they bought http://www.gmail.co.uk/ [gmail.co.uk] instead (before google bought gmail.com). One of the biggest problems with the current DNS system is that if you register http://www.nasa.gov/ [nasa.gov] it doesn't stop someone else from buying http://www.nasa.net/ [nasa.net], http://www.nasa.com/ [nasa.com], http://www.nasa.org/ [nasa.org], or whatever. Time to get rid of top level domains altogether.

Re:IIIR used the gmail name since 2002

[fabs64]

Yes because checking that there is no trademark violations for EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD is completely feasible.

Welcome to the Internet, sometimes things here are grey.

Re:IIIR used the gmail name since 2002

[SimilarityEngine]

There is the difference between TM and (r), you know?

You're right, of course. I really wanted to respond to the statement that Google were at fault for not checking for already-existing trademarks. I could be wrong - please correct me if so - but it must be trickier to check for unregistered trademarks.

I'm not saying Google should get their own way, but it may not be entirely their fault that this situation arose.

Re:No more changing your email

[AlecC]

I have all my private domains forwarding immediately to GMail. Nobody sees my gmail address, but I use it to read most mail. GMail's spam filter is pretty good, so that, while I get 1-200 spams a day, only about 3-4 make it to the inbox.

For me, the switch to using GMail has been pretty positive. And if I have to change to GoogleMail, I only have to repoint my three private domains.

Re:Yep

[KillerDeathRobot]

And that's why Gmail still says "BETA" at the top.

How on Earth did this get modded insightful? Not only is this just regurgitating the same thing people say every time we talk about Google products on Slashdot, but it doesn't even make sense on this one! Gmail is still in Beta because of trademark disputes? Huh?

Re:Privacy issues?

[generic-man]

If it were on the top, it would occupy the entirety of the preview pane, effectively making the preview pane useless for reading e-mail. Putting the disclaimer on the bottom is every bit as effective and legally-binding as putting it on the top.

Re:gmail - googlemail gateway?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking something even simpler. Couldn't they just market it as "GoogleMail" but still use the domain gmail.com? I mean, just because someone has the trademark "gmail" in the UK doesn't mean they can prevent someone else from registering the DOMAIN gmail.com in the US or anywhere else does it? Otherwise nobody would be allowed to register gmail.co.jp, gmail.us, gmail.com.tw, etc, which would be quite unreasonable.

The domain and the service name should be separate things. IIIR does have rights to the name, so Google can't CALL the service GMail in the UK. However, they don't have the rights to the domain, since Google legitimately acquired the domain in the US, which means they have every right to use it in whichever way they want.

If IIIR wanted to prevent Google's use of the domain, the only legitimate way to do so would be to file a trademark-based domain dispute, but by doing that they would be claiming ALL ownership of gmail.com, everywhere, not just in the UK. I mean, how can the IIIR own the gmail domain just in the UK and Google own it everywhere else. It's either one or the other. Whoever wins the claim should be free to do whatever they want with the domain. There's no middle alternative.

What Google should do is call the service Google Mail worldwide, and use the gmail.com domain.