this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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I'm sure Google didn't buy those for the purpose of actually using them, but rather to prevent someone else from registering and using them.
It's Google, probably just bought them on the off chance that they would ever do anything with them.
They are a company where the left hand doesn't talk to the right hand very often anyway.
Two businesses can trademark the same name if they are operating in different industries. Or, the name could have spaces or punctuation that renders the same as a TLD.
Go Ogle Photographic & Paparazzi Inc. could have a reasonable claim to the same
.googleTLD. The registration fee is chump change for Google/Alphabet to make sure this can't happen.That's true, but anyone with a legitimate concern for confusion can file an appeal with ICANN if someone applies for the name.
If trademarks were a concern, I'm sure Apple would also be buying every .iDeviceName gTLD imaginable. Hell, Apple doesn't even own the iPad trademark in China, so that one Chinese company would be able to register .ipad as a TLD if it wasn't for the objection procedures.
There were actually objections to .amazon from a bunch of people living near the Amazon river, but those were dismissed for various (valid, IMO) reasons. I doubt objections to gTLDs with the names of global brands would be dismissed so early.