Clear As Goo: Panel Lets Site Keep Its Groove Despite Google Complaint

GroovleGoogle has lost a bid to force Groovle.com, which offers customized search pages powered by Google, to change its name.

An arbitration panel of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers agreed with Groovle's argument that the "r" and "v" in its name "transform the predominant word of the groovle.com domain name to 'groove' or 'groovy,' not Google." Therefore, the panel ruled, Groovle is not confusingly similar to Google.

Google brought the case to the panel last month, alleging that the Groovle name was "nearly identical or confusingly similar" to Google, and that Groovle had chosen that name in order to lure Web users to its site. Google also alleged that Groovle's design was "highly similar" to Google's layout.

Google -- which not only powers organic search for Groovle but also supplies aid search ads for the site through AdSense -- also asserted that Groovle was violating the terms of Google's custom search program.

Groovle, owned by the Canadian-based Web marketing company 207 Media, successfully countered that its name was not the type of deliberate misspelling that's aimed at duping Web users. Currently, the site's "about us" page says that Google powers Groovle but does not own, operate, sponsor or endorse the site.

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