AdSense domains - are they risky?

I just found that NP owns adsenseforum.com. In fact the NP forum is mirrored there. You actually have to log in again if you use it and adsense.com is the domain throughout the whole site. So I guess it is safe to say the folks here at NP think it is not a big deal to own a domain with the word "AdSense" in it.

I just wonder if Google really has any say of use of "adsense" or not?

WOW!. I'm surprised no one has a word to say on this issue. Maybe I hit upon something here that's taboo???

lol, why would it be taboo?

no one knows -or- anyone that does know hasn't read this yet.

Just joking about "taboo". I shouldhave probably just posted this to the main discussion section. It seems no one relly bothers to go to the legal section for the most part.

Maybe everyone's too busy registering AdSense domains :hehe:

Thans for the response LeeRyder!

Alright, I'll respond.

Yes, Google does indeed hold a live trademark on "Adsense". That is a fact and cannot be disputed.

Can they come after you for using Adsense in your domain? Of course they can. They have a history of going after typos of Google.com, so it's definately possible they may do the same with Adsense names especially if the domain is being used to create confusion with the trademark or tarnishes it in some way. It's their prerogative.

I understand that it is their perogative, however, the fact that someone else already had and still does have a ficticious business name "adSense" way before Google Adsense was ever even released (or probably even conceived).

It just seems to me that since they do not have any indication of a trade or service mark next ot the "AdSense" logo or anywhere on the site (as far as I can see). The logo "google AdSense" merely has a TM beside the "google" part.

here's a thought, perhaps google could not actually secure a TM or SM for AdSense so they TMed "GOOGle adsense" not "AdSense" alone.

but you say that they do have AdSense TMed. Can you point me to that proof? I once had that TM search page bookmarked but I cannot find it anymore. Do you know the URL to it? I'd lov eto get to the bottom of this but I mainly would like to know if anything ever happened over AdSense.com. If there ever was a dispute over it, it appears google either lost or they gave up.

Hi,
Just found the trademark search and I found out they do for a fact.
Check it out:
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=lt2j06.2.1

Your link is expired. I did another search and found the following...

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=rdj6je.2.1

Typed Drawing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Word Mark ADSENSE
Goods and Services IC 035. US 100 101 102. G & S: Dissemination of advertising for others via the Internet; online advertising services for others, namely, providing advertising space on internet web sites. FIRST USE: 20030618. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20030618
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 78312926
Filing Date October 13, 2003
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Published for Opposition June 15, 2004
Registration Number 2881856
Registration Date September 7, 2004
Owner (REGISTRANT) Google Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Building 41 Mountain View CALIFORNIA 94043
(LAST LISTED OWNER) GOOGLE INC. DBA GOOGLE INC. CORPORATION DELAWARE 1600 AMPHITHEATRE PARKWAY MOUNTAIN VIEW CALIFORNIA 94043

Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It appears that Google might own the SM (sercive mark) on their AdSense logo, but not the TM on the word itself. I could be wrong, though. However, this would definitly make sense seeing how they do not own Adsense.com and since the company that does has been around before Google AdSense was released or probably even thought of and named "adsene" by Google.

We are the current registrants of AdsenseWorld.com and AdsenseForums.com and are not excessively concerned about TM issues. As mentioned above, it depends on the use of the term - if it results in TM dilution or tarnishing the image, that would most likely raise the ire of G's legal counsel.

If, on the other hand, it is used as a site to promote or (fairly) discuss the Adsense system, then it is just more branding for G...

Rob

-RJ- said:

Alright, I'll respond.

Yes, Google does indeed hold a live trademark on "Adsense". That is a fact and cannot be disputed.

Can they come after you for using Adsense in your domain? Of course they can. They have a history of going after typos of Google.com, so it's definately possible they may do the same with Adsense names especially if the domain is being used to create confusion with the trademark or tarnishes it in some way. It's their prerogative.

Click to expand...

Eeeexactly!

You can request permission from Google to use any of their trademarks on your website or in your domain name. The link to do so is:

http://www.google.com/permissions/

They also provide a list of their trademarks at
http://www.google.com/permissions/trademarks.html

Large corporations can come after mom-and-pops anytime in trademark disputes and always win by overwhelming the little guys in the discovery phase. Request all records that mom-and-pop have ever generated, receipts from way-back-when, etc. "It's not personal, it's just business."

Big guys > little guys, especially in corporate America.

I would guess that they would have some rights on it.

I thought that if you've owned the name before the company registers the TM then they can't come after you.

A friend started floral shop a year or so back with a made up name and ended up getting it trademarked. Well it turns out a company in Arizona had been using the name since the late 70's. Long story short that company had to change their name.

i own adsenseoffers.com....ne1 interested in buying...hehe

A friend of mine got adsense.se.. I didn't want it (SE = sweden).

Hmm, Google likes coming after people! :P

this is interesting hehe!

Here's one guy who's using an adsense domain: adsense-secrets.com.

Do you think Google will go after him? I doubt it.

G came after me for the domain names:

googled-_dot-_ws
googling-_dot-_us
googlesearch-_dot-_ws

The above names were search portals, but I let them expire when G asked me to transfer the names over to them.

I'm still holding $this_thread's_topic$.TV

:hehe: :o

AmCy

zquest said:

As most of you know, AdSense.com has been owned by a company other than google well before google released adsense as a branded service. The company that owns the site is actually an advertising or marketing company and uses the site for business. According to whois.sc, AdSense.com has been registered by AdSense Consulting Of Oregon since 2001-02-08, way before Google AdSense came out, I believe (please correct me if I am wrong).

So I guess my question is, does anyone know if Google owns the TM to AdSense? Can Google come after a person with "AdSense" in their domain name? How so?

Have there been any court battles with AdSense.com? I have not heared of any.

Could it be that Google does not acutlly own the TM to AdSense (or vice versa)? Afterall, if you go to the Google AdSense main page, you will see that in the logo, "Adesense" does not have a "TM" or a "SM" next to it and it is nowhere at the footer either. Not even a cirleC.

Click to expand...

I am sort of wondering the same thing (although from a bit of a different angle).. and in fact, before I read this post, I started my own thread on the topic, so sorry if I may rehash some stuff on my thread, there, that is already being addressed in this thread.