Google unveils Alphabet... but that's already trademarked by BMW

The general reaction to Google's announcement that it would create a new holding company called Alphabet, of which Google would be a subsidiary, was one of surprise and approval.

But perhaps the most surprised recipient of the news was BMW, which already runs a registered business called Alphabet.

The German carmaker told WirtschaftsWoche, the German business magazine, that it will be "necessary to examine the legal trademark implications" of the name of Google's new parent company.

BMW also said it had not been contacted by Google before the surprise restructuring on Monday.

In his announcement, Google co-founder Larry Page said Alphabet's website would be http://abc.xyz, a decision that may have been influenced by the fact that alphabet.com is owned by BMW's subsidiary, which operates in 18 countries and supplies 530,000 vehicles to corporate customers.

A representative for the automotive company told the New York Times that BMW had not received any offers to buy the website or the trademark and that it has no plans to sell the domain.

The spokesperson added that there were currently no plans to take legal steps against Google.

A legal dispute is unlikely since Google made clear in its announcement on Monday that in creating a parent company called Alphabet Inc it was not intending to build products and brands under that name.

Furthermore, to prove a trademark infringement, BMW would have to show that the new Alphabet created a "likelihood of confusion" among consumers between the two brands, which could occur if both brands offered similar goods and services.

There are currently 103 trademark registrations in the United States that include the word "alphabet" or some close variation, according to a database search of the US Patent and Trademark Office.