Google loses Gmail name in Europe

According to Ars Technica, Daniel Giersch has just announced that his company received a positive ruling from the Harmonisation Office supporting his claim that "Gmail" and his own "G-mail" are confusingly similar.

G-mail is an outfit that provides a "gmail.de" email address, but also allows a "hybrid mail" system in which documents can be sent electronically, printed out by the company, and delivered in paper format to local addresses.

So far Giersch had kicked Google out of Germany with his trademark complaint and hoped to get a similar ruling from the EU.

Giersch said he was relieved the whole thing was over as he found Google's actions "very threatening, very aggressive and very unfaithful, and very evil."

He claims the company once offered him $250,000 to go away but it now looks like the outfit will have to run something called "Google Mail" throughout Europe.

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