When Will Google Become Generic?

[Cheapquality]

Today, there are hundreds of once highly protected famous name brands, which were backed by multi-million dollar promotional budgets, now commonly used in daily lingo as generic names, as it was their huge popularity that made them lose their trademark protection. So why is the use of famous trademarked names as 'verbs' in our daily language feared by the attorneys representing that mark? Now this calls for a closer look.

For example, when you open your fridge, have an aspirin, use a kleenex and watch the kids in spandex jumping the trampoline then go out rollerblading later you sit xeroxing then fedexing and have a granola or may be googling on the net. All these highlighted names are generic, and their respective owners try very hard to keep them unique by means of graphic logos for better identification.

Currently, the term, "to google", is in Oxford English Dictionary with a lower case"g". This is indicative that the word 'to google' has entered the English language as a word, and therefore, making it very difficult for the originators, GoogleT, to keep it exclusive for themselves. Today, anyone can manufacture a frigde, trampoline or a rollerblade, so does this mean that there will be googling devices and googling softwares, or google kits produced by others?

Now the giant of the search engine universe, GoogleT flares up and warns media to back off from using its most powerful moniker, GoogleT as a "verb". This now calls for an even closer look.

For Full Article: http://www.worldarticle.net/Article/When-Will-Google-Become-Generic-/3956

 

[Peter]

To be honest I would not take much notice of wether the oxford english dictionary says are words, they have put such things as y2k (as in the y2k bug) and delia (after the cook, it's her first name). They seem to be diluting the language greatly.

However the post does make a good point although i do think it is way too early for the term to be generic but look at the likes of Hoover, that was the name of the manufacturer but has now got to a point that people use it to mean a vacuum cleaner which is it's proper name. We got to the point of using the term hoover because of the dominanace the company had in the market. If I remember correctly the company did not chase it's copyright too much so it continued. Google on the other hand are quite protective of their trademark so it should it from happening at the moment.

The last thing a company wants is for their name to become generic, as soon as it does they have effectively lost their identity, people will start to forget that the name came from the originating company.

 

[dotnom]

Google is the Coca Cola of internet
I don't think they will be become generic any time soon

Adding to the "Hoover" example of filth@flexiwebhost can be also the "Jeep" car

 

[Ray]

google is already a word in my vocabulary...

Google it... or like .. i found something on google

man that thing is googled

 

[twoprime4you]

Yes, google is a perfect example of name branding

 

[owntype]

the best typo and generic word of google is goggle

 

[panospheric]

Googly-Eyed

Oxford doesn't dilute, it expands. I hate it and love it when playing Scrabble. When I first heard the word "google" I laughed, it sounded so goofy. Nobody is laughing now. It is such a weird word, but it wouldn't have been worth much before they got going. In my opinion, the real power of Google is not in the name but their visionary direction. I really don't think Google will ever be synonymous with "Search Engine".

 

[Peter]

Oxford doesn't dilute, it expands.

In all honesty that is a matter of opinion, When they start adding so called words such as deliah (or however you spell it, I dont have an oxford dictionary spare) which is a persons name and was added because of that person then in my opinion that is dilution. Also it was my understanding that english words contain letters or hyphens ony so why have they added y2k.