Google refused trademark for Nexus One

In a move that will no doubt have caused those at Mountain View some consternation, the US Patent and Trademark Office has refused Google the trademark for its flagship mobile device, the Nexus One.

The US office said there was a "likelihood of confusion" over the trademark with an existing registered product, namely with telecommunications firm Integra Telecom and its own Nexus product. Their trademark was filed in October 2005, suggesting someone at Google didn't do much research before submitting the application.

Worst case scenario, the rejection of the trademark could cause massive problems for Google if it is forced to re-brand the device, although it's more likely the web giant will reach some settlement with Integra.

Moreover, it underlines the importance of enterprise teams working together, from IT bosses to marketing chiefs, in order to cover every eventuality when bringing new products to market, especially in new areas of business.

Google's foray into the mobile phone world has proved something of a disaster for the search giant. When the phone was announced it was discovered the company had not registered a .com or .uk domain containing the term. Furthermore the .uk domain appears to be a smartphone review site, presumably cashing in on the name to attract traffic.

Subsequently, many users complained that the phone had little to no 3G coverage while others said there was mass confusion between Google, the phone's manufacturer HTC, and operator partner, T-Mobile, over who was responsible for any issues that affected the phone.

As if all that wasn't bad enough, the estate of Philip K. Dick has said it will be suing Google over the use of the term 'Nexus One', arguing it's a little to close to the term "Nexus-6" from his work, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

The one piece of solace for Google is that the US Patent and Trademark Office has told the company it may respond to its refusal "by submitting evidence and arguments in support of registration". Which is no doubt what's happening right now, frantically, one imagines.

16 Mar 2010