Google’s GMail has hit another obstacle, and this one has nothing to do with online privacy. It seems that another company, The Market Age, has already trademarked a product named GMail.
Ruesters reports that London-based The Market Age said it had at its peak a year ago 1,000 customers representing 300 banks signed up for its core “Pronet” Web-based research application service, of which “Gmail” is a primary research product.
“When the news came out about Google’s Gmail last week, I went to the U.S. patent and trademark authorities. I thought maybe we were in trouble. But they hadn’t (registered),” Shane Smith, group chief executive of Market Age, told Reuters on Wednesday.
He said that on Saturday he paid the $700 (440 pounds) in fees to register “Gmail” under the company’s name. The Market Age never registered a “Gmail” Web domain, he added.
Smith did not comment on if he wil lease Google use of the trademark and says that Google has not been in contact with his firm.
