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Google sues Froogles over name dispute

19 April 2005

Internet giant Google is taking Long Island entrepreneur Richard Wolfe to court over a domain name dispute.

Papers filed this week in federal court by Google challenge Mr Wolfe's internet shopping site Froogles.com, which he claims to have registered in December 2000. Froogles.com has links from 700 online stores, which pay Mr Wolfe a commission on sales.

California-based Google launched comparison shopping site Froogle in 2002 and Mr Wolfe filed a complaint with ICANN seeking trademark protection in September 2003. The ICANN arbitration panel ruled in Mr Wolfe's favour.

Google launched Froogle in December 2002 and filed for trademark protection. The trademark application was approved in February 2004 and published to give others a chance to protest.

Both Mr Wolfe and Stelor Productions, operator of Googles.com, opposed granting the trademark. The Trademark Appeals Board is still considering whether to revoke the trademark, but Google has asked it to suspend the opposition proceeding pending the result of a court trial.

Google alleges in the trademark infringement suit, filed in US District Court in Brooklyn that consumers could confuse Mr Wolfe's bargain-shopping site with Google's Froogle and even the name Google itself. "Google is the senior user of marks that incorporate the formative -OOGLE for internet search services," the suit claims.

"Personally, I find it ironic that a company whose motto is 'do no evil' would put so much effort into trying to muscle me out of my business,' said disabled Mr Wolfe, 41.

Google spokesman Steve Langdon said: 'Protecting the Google brand is a top priority for us."

Federal trademark cases can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

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