Yahoo! announced another new product today, called Search Pad.
Unfortunately in true Yahoo style, it did not secure the domain searchpad.com which is currently parked, before announcing release of the product.
It certainly couldn’t be the price of the domain that scared them off as of today the domain could be purchased for as little as the whopping sum of $750 (owner is taking offers starting at that amount at Sedo.
A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about Yahoo most popular service Flickr.com and the fact that they failed to secure the correct spelling of the service, Flicker.com.
In this case, Yahoo didn’t just fail to secure the domain prior to release; it maybe in violation of a Trademark by naming its product “Search Pad”.
According to the US trademark database, the term “Search Pad”, has been trademarked since 1997, for the exact purpose that Yahoo Search Pad operates:
The trademark states:
Typed Drawing
| Word Mark | SEARCHPAD |
| Goods and Services | IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: computer software for searching and classifying information on global computer networks. FIRST USE: 19970900. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19971116 |
| Mark Drawing Code | (1) TYPED DRAWING |
| Serial Number | 75378351 |
| Filing Date | October 23, 1997 |
| Current Filing Basis | 1A |
| Original Filing Basis | 1B |
| Published for Opposition | December 29, 1998 |
| Change In Registration | CHANGE IN REGISTRATION HAS OCCURRED |
| Registration Number | 2686837 |
| Registration Date | February 11, 2003 |
| Owner | (REGISTRANT) SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES LTD. CORPORATION INDIA 3-7-218 HARSHA TOWERS, TRIMULGHERRY POST SECUNDERABAD 500 015 INDIA |
| Assignment Recorded | ASSIGNMENT RECORDED |
| Attorney of Record | Joanne Ludovici-Lint |
| Type of Mark | TRADEMARK |
| Register | PRINCIPAL |
| Live/Dead Indicator | LIVE |
In its press release Yahoo does not mention that is has license the software from a third party and actually calls the product, “Yahoo Search Pad”
Typically if a company rolls out a product, including another companies involvement, it would mention the other company it in the official press release, which Yahoo did not do, certainly giving me the impression that they maybe in violation of this long established trademark.
That would especially interesting in light of Yahoo comments yesterday to ICANN strongly supporting the URS to proect trademark holders right.
If your interested here is how Yahoo describes, Yahoo Search Pad here you go:
“””Yahoo! announced today Search Pad beta, a Yahoo! Search feature that lets people capture, organize, save and share information they find while researching online. Search Pad provides a new search experience that is especially valuable for people conducting extensive research in categories such as academic, health, jobs, travel, or shopping.
“””Today, people conducting online research often use cumbersome methods for capturing the information they find in search results, pasting snippets into separate documents, taking handwritten paper notes, bookmarks, and/or sending themselves emails with links. Search Pad simplifies this task by automatically recognizing when people are conducting research, and allowing them to easily capture information and websites found in their search results. Once activated, Search Pad automatically saves recent items, including links in one integrated notepad that stays with them as they search. People can edit their notes and then print, save, email, or share their Search Pad documents with family, friends, colleagues or anyone else, eliminating the need for others to do the same research.
“””At Yahoo! Search we are committed to understanding people’s intent and building the right tools to help them complete their most important tasks online,” said Larry Cornett, vice president of consumer products, Yahoo! Search. “With Search Pad, Yahoo! is providing an elegant solution that understands when valuable research is being conducted and offers a way to effortlessly gather information in one place. Yahoo! Search Pad helps people make decisions, save their work, and share the best with friends and colleagues.”””
You can also watch a screencast of the product by clicking here.
You can read a Tech Crunch article on the product here.
“$750 owner is taking offers starting at that amount at Sedo”
I suspect his BIN just went up.
At least, they didn’t call it some kind of fruit.
When are REAL businessmen going to start running these companies? This is about as dumb as it gets.
The owner wants $21,000 for it via Sedo. That was his counteroffer to me.
One of these days, one of these companies will launch a service without owning the domain name and I will own it 😉 ! We can all hope anyway.
One question Michael: Could the “CHANGE IN REGISTRATION HAS OCCURRED” mean that the trademark has changed ownership? Maybe to Yahoo? I have not seen that wording before in a trademark but it simply could of been a simple change to wording at any point in the TM since 1997 I guess.
Jamie
I thought of that as well.
It could be the case that Yahoo got the trademark, but since you can only trademark an existing use not a proposed use, you would think the India company had an actual product to go along with the trademark, which does basically what Yahoo program does, and would have sold both to Yahoo in which case there would have been an announcement on that, which I couldn’t find.
Tony
I’m sure the domain could have been had in the low 4 figures before Yahoo made its product announcement and even not what the hell is $21K to a public company which is rolling out a product to protect its “precious brand.
After reading yesterday’s comments by large corporations to ICANN in support of the URS I found a continuing theme, even at $200 a name, these corporations think its too expensive.
So they don’t want to pay to protect themselves, they want it for free.
You are right that SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES LTD. would have sold both the product and trademark to Yahoo for a decent amount since the company (Satyam) was under severe agitation few months back. Just Google to read few stories.
Samething here too!!! luck me
PeopleSearches.com