Internet giant Google announced a brand-new direction yesterday, with the incorporation of its new Alphabet parent company.
However, the new umbrella firm could soon become mired in a legal controversy following news that German automotive giant BMW owns the trademark, plus the dotcom domain name (possibly the reason behind Google using abc.xyz).
According to a BMW spokesperson, the car maker has no intention of giving it up either.
“We’re not planning to sell the domain,” said Micaela Sandstede, describing it as a “very active” part of the division’s business.
According to a New York Times report, a spokesman said BMW is looking into reporting Google for trademark infringement.
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BMW uses the Alphabet name for a department offering service packages to those companies lucky enough to have fleets of BMWs.
While it’s fine for both companies to have the same name, the potential for business crossover may interest the copyright courts.
The company also has its Android Auto platform, which offers an in-car infotainment system to customers, although that will remain part of Google.
Could BMW look to score a victory over Alphabet, who it may see as a future competitor in the automotive space?
Of course, Google will probably defend itself by claiming Alphabet is simply the name of the parent company that owns whatever its automotive division becomes, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
