Yesterday Google announced they would be restructuring. Instead of Google being the parent company to a host of products and services they have created or acquired over the years, Google will now be a subsidiary company to a newly formed parent company called Alphabet. It’s a simple name and a common one, and one that could run into issues.
According to a report from the New York Times, it seems that not only is the name Alphabet used by many companies, but there is one big company out there who actually owns the alphabet.com domain name, and they are none other than BMW, which is odd since you would think Google would Google that information before announcing it, right?
Now if you’re thinking Google will purchase the domain from BMW, think again. According to BMW spokeswoman Micaela Sandstede, “We are not planning to sell the domain.” The company also claims that they will be examining the name and seeing if there might be any kind of trademark infringement.
While it is possible for companies with the same name to exist, trademark infringement according to the US Patent and Trademark Office only occurs when it causes confusion with consumers. With Google being semi-involved in the auto industry with their self-driving cars, there is a possibility this could clash with BMW’s Alphabet business, but we suppose we will just have to wait and see how this one plays out.