Email address question - no idea where to put this so plonking it here!

[lexis200]

Hi all

I just have a query about an email I received yesterday, hoping someone can cast light on it for me.

I own my own domain and so have my own personal email which no one else has - lets say it's @myemail.co.uk. I always use this suffix, but depending on the company I send emails to, I change the prefix, so if I'm emailing Sky it'll be sky@myemail.co.uk, if it's BT it'll be BT@myemail.co.uk etc. It's purely for sorting mails and detecting where spam has originated from if I get it. I've done this for years with all companies - huge multinationals and tiny independents - and never had a problem.

Yesterday I sent a help request to a website I use (using their name as the prefix and my domain name as the suffix) and received a reply telling me that their name is trademarked and I can't use it in any form. I wrote back and explained that it's just for my eyes and is exactly the same as if I have a physical letter from them which I file in my physical filing cabinet under their company name, but as it was causing them problems for me to use it they could use a different address.

I'm just wondering if this is actually correct? Can they tell me not to use their name as the prefix part of an email? I was thinking maybe they're getting mixed up and thinking I'm nicking their domain? I'm not intending doing anything about it as it doesn't affect me to have given them a slightly different name, it's just for my interest as I thought it was odd that no other company has ever picked up on/complained about/mentioned it in the years I've been doing it.

Thanks for any replies!

[nemesis45]

Re: Email address question - no idea where to put this so plonking it here!

Hi welcome to LB.

This is a frequent problem, and yes there is a trade mark infringement it is not
for the TM holder to change their TM name to suit your filing system.
nem

[lexis200]

Re: Email address question - no idea where to put this so plonking it here!

That's interesting, thanks. Would you you mind explaining why it's an infringement please? I'm genuinely interested, this isn't a sarcastic question (just thought I'd clarify that as tone gets a bit lost in text).

I'm obviously missing something fundamental, but can you explain why it's different to me using their name on a physical file, as both examples - the email and an actual filling system - would only be seen/used by me? So, to take it to the nth degree, this company by that token should also be able to tell me I can't write their name on a file at home as that would be an infringement?

It just seems bizarre to me!

[PAWS]

Re: Email address question - no idea where to put this so plonking it here!

Many years ago I worked for a corporate hospitality company. One of the larger customers threatened to sue us for copying their logo onto the signs that directed their guests to their private hospitality facility. I can see your point Lexis; you only used their name in the same way you would use it on the front of an envelope but it also appears on the address they use to reply to you so I kind of get their point as well.
Companies can be very sticky about this and unless you have the time, energy and money to get bogged down with this wrangle I would let it go in this instance.

[lexis200]

Re: Email address question - no idea where to put this so plonking it here!

Hi Paws

Thanks for that - I'm not intending doing anything about it at all, I replied immediately with an alternate address for them and apologised when I got their mail. This is purely for my interest as it occurred to me that no one else has ever picked up on it, so I. was wondering if it's really a 'thing' or if they were just getting muddled. Sounds like it's me that's doing that

Your old customer seems a bit zealous given the circumstances!

[PAWS]

Re: Email address question - no idea where to put this so plonking it here!

Your old customer seems a bit zealous given the circumstances!

Zealous and very litigious! It is an interesting point but many companies see their name/brand/logo as sacred especially if it is a household name. They may see that if they allow anyone to use it in a less than regular fashion it is the thin end of the wedge! Now we have all dealt with the small minded, suspicious employees of these companies and understanding what you were explaining to them would probably make them implode but I am afraid that so far as I know the law is on their side and they will never hesitate to take defensive action no matter how pedantic it may seem. You are right to let this one go; just not worth the effort.