Gmail Becomes Google Mail in the UK 337
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 (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I work internationally (Score:3, Insightful)
I am worried that they may be forced to change ALL addresses to googlemail thjough..
Re:IIIR used the gmail name since 2002 (Score:5, Insightful)
> world.
They're not rolling it out - Gmail is still in beta.
Abbreviation (Score:3, Insightful)
No more changing your email (Score:4, Insightful)
> 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. (Score:3, Insightful)
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? (Score:5, Insightful)
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?
zI actually prefer @googlemail.com (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Abbreviation (Score:2, Insightful)
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 (Score:3, Insightful)
Welcome to the Internet, sometimes things here are grey.
Re:IIIR used the gmail name since 2002 (Score:3, Insightful)
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 (Score:2, Insightful)
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 (Score:5, Insightful)
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? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:gmail - googlemail gateway? (Score:1, Insightful)
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.