Could UK Google Gmail users lose their address?
As has been widely reported, Google has not been able to work out a deal with a company that claims UK rights in the name GMail.
Here’s the story.
So Google now has the following page:
But look closely and you can read this - (my words here: could existing Gmail.com users find their free account email address taken away?)
Google words as follows:
What if I’m a UK user who already has a Gmail address? Will that address ever change?
Unfortunately, we don’t know. We would love to say that your address will always remain the same. But the trademark issue is still unsettled, and unfortunately, we cannot predict what the other party or the courts might do here. You can always use your same username with an @googlemail.com address to avoid this issue later on. But trust that we will do the best we can to make sure your email address won’t ever have to change.
So if like me you have a Gmail account, you may want to keep on eye on this.
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It looks like Google’s had a change of heart - maybe. That page now reads:
What if I’m a UK user who already has a Gmail address? Will I also need to change that address?
No, this change doesn’t affect existing Gmail addresses. For now, our plan is only to issue @googlemail.com addresses to new users. Trust that we will do the best we can to offer all our users a reliable and consistent email experience.
Comment by Ian Betteridge — 19th October 2005 @ 8:15 pm
Thanks Ian. Good thing they have issued the update. I guess they must have had quite a few anxious folks contact them.
Comment by editor — 22nd October 2005 @ 12:51 pm