BMW is Reviewing The Possibility of TM Infringement as Related Alphabet

BMW is apparently not too thrilled about Google deciding to go with the name Alphabet, and they have some concerns according to several news outlets.

FleetNews.co.uk wrote:

Vehicle leasing company Alphabet is investigating whether Google has infringed its trademark after the tech giant gave its new parent company the same name.

Following a restructure, Google has created a new parent company called Alphabet Inc.

The leasing and fleet management company, owned by BMW, told Fleet News: “The possibility of any trademark infringement is currently under review.”

 The leasing company’s website – www.alphabet.com – struggled to initially cope with traffic after Google announced the new parent company’s name, with people mistakenly thinking the car leasing site was something to do with the tech company.

Google co-founder Larry Page said the name Alphabet was chosen for two reasons. It represents language, “the core of how we index with Google search”, and because Alpha-bet means “investment return above benchmark, which we strive to do”.

Google has said that in creating a parent company called Alphabet Inc, it was not intending to build products and brands under that name.

If it did, then it might have to contend with legal fallout for potentially trampling on the trademark rights of what is a fairly common brand among dozens of businesses, including the BMW-owned car leasing company.

Read the full article here Reuters reported:

FRANKFURT — BMW on Tuesday said it was looking into whether Google infringed any trademark rights after the Silicon Valley-based group set up a new company called Alphabet, which is also the name of a BMW subsidiary.

“We are examining whether there are any implications over trademarks,” a BMW spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The spokeswoman said there were currently no plans to take legal steps against Google.

BMW’s Alphabet, which provides services to companies with vehicle fleets, operates in 18 countries and supplies 530,000 vehicles to corporate customers.

Google was not immediately available for comment.

A legal dispute is unlikely since Google made clear in its announcement on Monday that in creating a parent company called Alphabet Inc, it was not intending to build products and brands under that name.