List of generic and genericized trademarks
The following three lists of generic and genericized trademarks are:
- marks which were originally legally protected trademarks, but have been genericized and have lost their legal status due to becoming generic terms,
- marks which have been abandoned and are now generic terms
- marks which are still legally protected as trademarks, at least in some jurisdictions
List of former trademarks that have been genericized
The following partial list contains marks which were originally legally protected trademarks, but which have subsequently lost legal protection as trademarks by becoming the common name of the relevant product or service, as used both by the consuming public and commercial competitors. These marks were determined in court to have become generic. Some marks retain trademark protection in certain countries despite being declared generic in others.
- Ani-Manga
- Originally as a trademark of Viz Media which became an umbrella term for anime and manga after its trademark expired on October 28, 2016.[1]
- Airfryer
- Trademark owned by Philips in the European Union and various other jurisdictions, but invalidated in the United States due to it being merely a descriptive term.[2][3][4]
- Aspirin
- Still a Bayer trademark name for acetylsalicylic acid in about 80 countries, including Canada and many countries in Europe, but declared generic in the U.S.[5]
- Catseye
- Originally a trademark for a specific type of retroreflective road safety installation.[6] The IP belong to Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd. and was registered by Percy Shaw.[7]
- Cellophane
- Still a registered trademark of Innovia Films Ltd in Europe and many other jurisdictions. Genericized in the U.S. Originally a trademark of DuPont.[8][9] A thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose.
- Circline
- Originally a trademark of General Electric of ring shaped fluorescent lamps. Became generic in the United States and Canada.[10]
- Dry ice
- Trademarked by the Dry Ice Corporation of America in 1925.[11][12] A solid form of carbon dioxide.
- Escalator
- Originally a trademark of Otis Elevator Company and it was a registered trademark until 1950.[13][14]
- Flip phone
- Originally a trademark of Motorola.[15]
- Flit gun
- Originally trademarked as a dispenser for Flit, a brand of insecticide manufactured by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (later Exxon).
- Heroin
- Trademarked by Friedrich Bayer & Co in 1898.[16][17] Trademark lost in some nations in the Treaty of Versailles, in 1919.[18]
- Hovercraft
- Trademarked by Saunders-Roe.
- Kerosene
- First used around 1852.[19]
- Lanolin
- Trademarked as the term for a preparation of water and the wax from sheep's wool.[20]
- Launderette
- Coin laundry shop.[21] Telecoin-Bendix trademark, for coin laundries of Telecoin-adapted Bendix machines.
- Laundromat
- Coin laundry shop.[22] Westinghouse trademark, registered in the U.S. in the 1940s (automatic washing machine) and 1950s (coin laundry) but now expired.
- Linoleum
- Floor covering,[23] originally coined by Frederick Walton in 1864, and ruled as generic following a lawsuit for trademark infringement in 1878; probably the first product name to become a generic term.[24]
- Mimeograph
- Originally trademarked by Albert Dick.[25] A low-cost printing press that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper.
- Quonset
- A trademark of the Great Lakes Steel Corporation for a brand of hemicylindrical prefabricated structures, first deployed at Quonset Point, Rhode Island
- Sellotape
- Sellotape is a British brand of transparent, cellulose-based, pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, and is the leading brand in the United Kingdom. Sellotape is generally used for joining, sealing, attaching and mending. The term has become a genericised trademark in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Nigeria, Ghana, New Zealand, Israel, India, Serbia, Japan, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, Macedonia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, and is used much in the same way that Scotch Tape came to be used in Canada, France, Italy and the United States, in referring to any brand of clear adhesive tape.
- Spidola
- A brand created by the Latvian manufacturer VEF, but widely used in the Soviet Union to refer to all transistor radios.[26]
- Teleprompter
- The word TelePrompTer, with internal capitalization, originated in the 1950s as a trade name used by the TelePrompTer Corporation, for their television prompting apparatus.[27]
- Trampoline
- Originally a trademark of the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company.[28]
- Videotape
- Originally trademarked by Ampex Corporation,[29] an early manufacturer of audio and video tape recorders.
List of former trademarks that have since become generic terms due to reasons other than genericization
The following partial list contains marks which were originally legally protected trademarks, but which have subsequently lost legal protection as trademarks due to abandonment, non-renewal or improper issuance (the generic term predated the registration). Some marks retain trademark protection in certain countries despite being generic in others.
- App Store
- Trademark claimed by Apple Inc. for their digital distribution platform. Apple filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com over Appstore for Amazon, but abandoned the lawsuit after an early rejection of Apple's false advertising claim in the lawsuit.[30] As part of the settlement, Apple gave Amazon a covenant not to sue, so that Amazon would drop its counterclaim to have the registration cancelled.[30] As of February 2019,[update] the trademark, reg. no. 4,829,304, remains "Issued and Active" at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.[31]
- Dumpster
- Trademark was cancelled in 2015.[32][33] Trademarked by Dempster Brothers, Inc. in 1963, dumpster is originally a portmanteau of the word dump and the last name Dempster. It originally appeared in the 1951 product name Dempster Dumpster,[34] while related patents date back to 1937.[35][36]
- Multiball
- Used to refer to a state on a pinball machine where two or more balls are present on the playfield simultaneously and can be accessed by the flippers. Trademarked by WMS Industries in 1981 as "Multi-ball" and by Templar Studios in 2000 as "Multiball." "Multiball" was abandoned as a trademark in 2001, and "Multi-ball" was canceled in 2002.[37][38]
- Taco Tuesday
- A social/family event or sales promotion relating to consuming tacos on a Tuesday; held by Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar in New Jersey and Taco John's in the other 49 states until 2023, when the companies abandoned their trademark registrations after Taco Bell filed petitions with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the marks.[39][40]
- Touch-tone
- Dual tone multi-frequency telephone signaling; AT&T states "formerly a trademark of AT&T".[41]
- Webster's Dictionary
- The publishers with the strongest link to the original are Merriam-Webster, but they have a trademark only on "Merriam-Webster", and other dictionaries are legally published as "Webster's Dictionary".[42]
- Yo-Yo
- Still a Papa's Toy Co. Ltd. trademark name for a spinning toy in Canada, but was determined that the trademark was improperly issued.[43]
- ZIP Code
- Originally registered as a United States Postal Service service mark but has since expired.[44]
- Zipper
- Originally a trademark of B.F. Goodrich for use in rubber boots.[45]
List of protected trademarks frequently used as generic terms
Marks in this partial list are still legally protected as trademarks, at least in some jurisdictions, but are sometimes used by consumers in a generic sense. Unlike the names in the list above, these names are still widely known by the public as brand names, and are not used by competitors. Scholars disagree as to whether the use of a recognized trademark name for similar products can truly be called "generic", or if it is instead a form of synecdoche.[46]
The previous list contains trademarks that have completely lost their legal status in some countries, while the following list contains marks which have been registered as trademarks, continue in use, and are actively enforced by their trademark owners. Writing guides such as the AP Stylebook advise writers to "use a generic equivalent unless the trademark is essential to the story".
Trademarked name | Generic name | Trademark owner | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Adrenaline | Epinephrine | Pfizer (previously Parke-Davis) | Widely referred to, in both technical and non-technical contexts, as "adrenaline", and in the BAN and EP systems.[47][48] |
Airfix | Plastic injection-moulded scale model kits | Hornby Railways | Still used widely in the UK to describe a scale model[49] as it was the dominant brand at that time.[50] |
Allen wrench | Hex key | Apex Tool Group | Also known as an "Allen key" or "hex head wrench", and outside the USA by such brand names as "Inbus", "Unbrako", and "Brugola".[51] |
Aqua [id] | Mineral water | Danone | Common in Indonesia as a genericized mark for any mineral water.[citation needed] |
Aqua-lung | Open-circuit underwater breathing set with demand valve | See Aqua-lung#Trademark issues | Or nowadays often merely "scuba", or "air scuba", when there is a need to distinguish from rebreathers[citation needed] |
AstroTurf | Artificial turf | Monsanto Company (formerly), AstroTurf, LLC | Also gave use to the term astroturfing.[52] |
Armco | Crash barrier | Cleveland-Cliffs | Armco barriers made from corrugated steel have long been the standard for crash barrier protection in the UK[53] |
Band-Aid | Adhesive bandage, plaster | Johnson & Johnson (formerly), Kenvue | Often used as though generic by consumers in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, though still legally trademarked.[46] |
Biro | Ballpoint pen | Société Bic | Used generically in colloquial British, Irish and Australian English, particularly for cheaper disposable pens, but remains a registered trademark. Derived from the name of the inventor, László Bíró.[54] |
Bobcat | Skid-steer loader | Bobcat Company | This usage is especially common in Australia. The Clark Equipment Company has successfully defended the trademark against dilution and genericization at least in two cases relating to domain names with the World Intellectual Property Organization.[55][56] |
Bubble Wrap | Inflated cushioning | Sealed Air | [57] |
Burqini | Swimsuit compatible with Islamic modesty requirements | Aheda Zanetti | Alternatively spelled "burkini", which is also trademarked.[58] |
Bush Hog | Rotary mower | Bush Hog, Inc. | [59] |
Canon | Photocopier or to make a photocopy | Canon Inc. | Like Xerox became a generic name for a photocopier in some countries, Canon became a generic name for it in Mongolia. As Japanese company was the main exporter of photocopiers to this country, they are widely known as Mongolian: канон[60] |
Cashpoint | Automated teller machine, cash machine | Lloyds Bank | Commonly used in the UK to refer to any ATM or cash dispensing machine, regardless of which bank or company it is operated by.[citation needed] |
Chain gun | Motor operated machine gun | Northrop Grumman | [61] Also appears as a definition in the Oxford English Dictionary, describing it as "a machine gun that uses a motor-driven chain to power all moving parts"[62] |
ChapStick | Lip balm | Suave Brands Company | [citation needed] |
Christmas Seals | Christmas seal | American Lung Association | [63] A Charity label or fundraising seal issued at Christmas time to fight tuberculosis or other lung disease. Trademark was taken in 1987 by ALA, who has issued National Christmas Seals in the US continuously since 1907, to prevent other US National charities from competing. |
Chyron | On-Screen Graphics or Character Generator(CG) | ChyronHego Corporation | Hardware and software used in broadcasting for making lower thirds and other on screen graphics. Often used to refer to any kind of on screen graphics regardless of playout equipment.[64] [failed verification] |
Cigarette boat | Go-fast boat | Cigarette Racing | The nickname derived from fast powerboats that were designed to smuggle cigarettes fast and outrun law enforcement personnel. Trademark was taken following a founding of a company named after the nickname.[65][66] |
Clorox | Bleach | Clorox Company | [67] |
Coke | Cola, soft drink, pop, soda | Coca-Cola Company | Predominantly used in some parts of the US to refer to any cola (even that of another trademark). Still a trademark.[68] |
Colt | Revolver | Colt's Manufacturing Company, part of Colt CZ Group | A common choice of gun during the Wild West, it was used to describe any revolvers during the 19th century, regardless of brand.[69] |
Comic con | Comic book convention | San Diego Comic-con International | In 2014, San Diego Comic-con sued the producers of a similarly named convention, contending infringement of its trademark. The case was decided by jury in December 2017, upholding "comic con" as a trademark of SDCC.[70] |
Connollising | As a verb, to restore automobile leather interior | Connolly Leather | Often used by automobile enthusiasts and medias, when to describe restoring leather interiors, thanks to the high international reputation of the company.[71][72] |
Crock-Pot | Slow cooker | Sunbeam Products, part of Newell Brands | "Crock pot" and "crockpot" are common synonyms used by cooks to describe any slow cooker.[73] |
Cuisinart | Food processor | Conair | Sometimes used in the U.S. to refer to any food processor, but still a trademark.[74] |
Cutex | Nail polish | Revlon | Mostly used in the Philippines to refer to nail polish, regardless of brand. Often spelled as "Kyutix", "Kutex", or "Kutix."[75] The Shanghainese term of nail polish, "蔻丹", is derived from "Cutex", because Cutex is a well-known brand of nail polish in pre-1949 China,[76] although it's not commonly seen in post-1980s China. |
Decora | Rocker light switch | Leviton | Frequently used in the United States to refer to any rocker light switch regardless of manufacturer,[77][78] but still trademarked.[79] |
Dictaphone | Dictation machine | Nuance Communications, part of Microsoft | Used to describe devices that are used to record speech such as handheld voice recorders. [citation needed] |
Dobro | Resonator guitar | Gibson Brands | Used to describe any Resonator Guitar, especially the single cone "spider-bridge" design originally by the Dobro company.[80] |
Doll Instant Noodle [zh] | Instant noodles | Winner Food Products [zh] | "Doll Instant Noodle" (公仔麵) is commonly referred in Hong Kong for instant noodles.[81] Winner Food Products (永南食品) was acquired by its former arch-competitor Nissin Foods in 1989.[82] |
Dormobile | Motorhome | Bedford Vehicles, then Dormobile (Folkestone) Ltd | Widely used in the United Kingdom to describe any motorhomes.[83] This article by the BBC is an example of the term being used generically. |
Doshirak | Instant noodles | Paldo Co. Ltd., previously Korea Yakult | Used in Russia to refer to any kind of instant noodles.[84] |
Dremel | Rotary Tool | Robert Bosch GmbH | Small handheld rotary tools are often called dremels or dremel clones.[citation needed] |
Durex | Adhesive tape (Australia, Brazil) | 3M LRC Products Ltd (in Australia, for condoms)[85] | Used in Brazil ("fita durex")[86] and some areas of Australia[54][87][88] as a generic name for adhesive tape. |
Elastoplast | Adhesive bandage | Beiersdorf | Much like "Band-Aid" in North America, the name has become a genericized trademark in some Commonwealth countries including the United Kingdom and Australia.[89] |
EpiPen | Epinephrine autoinjector | Viatris (formerly Mylan) | Commonly used in the United States and Canada as a catch-all term for epinephrine autoinjectors.[90][91] |
Esky | Cooler | Coleman | Australian usage[92] |
Filofax | Personal organizer | FLB Group Ltd, formerly Letts Filofax Group | [93][94] |
Fix-A-Flat | Canned tire inflator | Illinois Tool Works | [95] |
Formica | Wood or plastic laminate | Formica Corporation, part of Broadview Holdings | Widely used for the generic product. An attempt to have the trademark quashed failed in 1977.[96] |
Freon | Refrigerant | DuPont (formerly), Chemours | Frequently used to refer to any type of refrigerant,[97] though Freon is specifically Dichlorodifluoromethane, or R-12. |
Frisbee | Flying disc | Wham-O | [98] Frequently used to describe the flying disc toy, as well as sports such as Ultimate Frisbee (Ultimate)[99] and Frisbee Golf (Disc Golf).[100] |
Gib board | Drywall | Winstone Wallboards | Widely used term within New Zealand to refer to plasterboard, after the name of the country's market-leading product of its type (still trademarked).[101] |
Gillette | Safety razor | Procter & Gamble | Used in Portugal, Brazil and Turkey as a generic for any safety or cartridge razor. |
Glad Wrap | Cling-film | Glad (company) | [102] Used in Australia, New Zealand. |
Glock | Semi-automatic pistol | Glock (company) | Commonly used in the United States as a synonym for a semi-automatic pistol, especially within hiphop music. |
Internet search engine | Google LLC | [103][104] See Google (verb) | |
Hacky Sack | Footbag | Wham-O | [105][106] |
Hardie Board, HardiePlank | Fibre cement products, for cement board and fiber cement siding specifically | James Hardie | [107][108] |
Hills Hoist | Rotary clothes line | Hills Industries | Australian usage[109] |
Hoover | Vacuum cleaner | Hoover Company | Widely used as a noun and verb.[96] De facto loss of trademark in the UK.[110] |
Hula hoop | Toy hoop | Wham-O | [111] |
Indomie | Instant noodle | Indofood | Common in Indonesia and Nigeria as a genericized mark for any instant noodle. |
Jacuzzi | Hot tub or whirlpool bath | Jacuzzi | [112] |
Jandals | Flip-flops | ACTSTA | The ordinary term for flip-flops in New Zealand but the trademark is still registered and occasionally enforced.[113] |
Javex | Bleach | Clorox Company | Used primarily in Canada, where bleach is "eau de javel" as a French-language generic. Acquired from Colgate-Palmolive in late 2006.[114] |
JCB | Backhoe loader | J. C. Bamford | Has become a generic term for an excavator mounted with both a front loader and a backhoe in British English, as recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.[115] Invented by J C Bamford Excavators Ltd., which is still the largest supplier of backhoe loaders.[116] |
Jeep | Compact sport utility vehicle | Chrysler, part of Stellantis | Chrysler recently used "trademark awareness" advertisements to prevent the brand from becoming a generic noun or verb, including such statements as They invented 'SUV' because they can't call them Jeep[117] In Ireland all SUVs are colloquially called jeeps, whereas in the UK they are 'four-wheel drives'. |
Jell-O | Gelatin dessert, jelly | Kraft Heinz | The name is commonly used in the US to refer to any gelatin-like dessert.[118] |
Jetway | Passenger boarding bridge | JBT AeroTech | The name commonly used to describe any brand of enclosed, movable connector which most commonly extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, and in some instances from a port to a boat or ship, allowing passengers to board and disembark without going outside or being exposed to the elements.[119] |
Jet Ski | Stand-up personal watercraft | Kawasaki | Used universally to refer to any type of personal watercraft. This news article is one example of usage. |
Jiffy bag | padded mailing envelopes | Sealed Air | [120][121] |
JumboTron | Large-screen television | Sony | Still used, although Sony exited the market for this product in 2001.[122] |
Kleenex | Facial tissue | Kimberly-Clark | Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the U.S., France and Canada, but still a legally recognized trademark.[46] |
Kool-Aid | Drink mix | Kraft Heinz | Often used in the phrase "Drinking the Kool-Aid," referring to the adoption of a dangerous idea because of peer pressure.[123] |
Kraft Dinner | Macaroni & cheese | Kraft Heinz | Often used by consumers in Canada[citation needed], but still a legally recognized trademark. |
Lava lamp | Liquid motion lamp | Mathmos | [124][125] |
Learjet | Business jet | Bombardier Aerospace | Has been used to describe any business jet regardless of builder, due to Bill Lear's skill in public relations.[126][127] Production of Learjet-branded aircraft ended in 2021 due to steadily declining sales versus larger and more comfortable competitors.[128] |
Legos | Interlocking bricks | The Lego Group | "Lego" is commonly used as a mass noun ("some Lego") or, in American English, as a countable noun with plural "Legos", to refer to the bricks themselves.[129] |
Lexan | Polycarbonate resin thermoplastic glass | SABIC | [130] |
Liquid Paper | Correction fluid | Newell Brands | A white liquid applied with a brush used to hide mistakes, written or typed, with ink so they can be overwritten. (Australia, see also Wite-Out in the US Tipp-Ex in the UK and Ireland)[131] |
Mace | Pepper spray | Mace Security International | [132][133] |
Maclean | Toothpaste | Haleon | Common in Nigeria as a genericized term for toothpaste.[citation needed] |
Maggi | Bouillon cube, Instant noodle | Nestlé | A widely recognized genericized term for Bouillon cube and other food seasoning in Nigeria.[citation needed] It is synonymous with instant noodle in Malaysia.[citation needed] |
Matchbox | Die cast toy | Mattel | Used at its height of popularity to describe die cast cars.[134][citation needed] |
Memory Stick | Flash memory storage device | Sony | Typically used to refer to USB flash drives, as opposed to other brands of memory cards akin to Sony's products.[135][136] |
Mickey Mouse | comic books and cartoons | The Walt Disney Company | Typically used to refer to comic books and cartoons in Greece.[citation needed] |
Miojo | instant noodles | Myojo Foods (as of 2007, subsidiary of Nissin foods) | Commonly used in Brazil to describe any instant noodles, first commercialized in said country by Myojo Foods in 1965.[137][138][139] |
Muzak | Elevator music, background music | Muzak Holdings | An often derogatory term frequently used to describe any form of Easy Listening, smooth jazz, or Middle of the road music, or to the type of recordings once commonly heard on "beautiful music" radio stations.[140][141] |
NOS (Nitrous Oxide Systems) | Nitrous | Holley Performance Products | Widely used generically to describe nitrous systems used in motor vehicles.[142] One example of this was when it was used prominently in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious |
Nestlé | Chocolate bar | Nestlé | Commonly used term for chocolate bars in Iraq, pronounced [nastala] [143] |
Onesies | Infant/Adult bodysuit (babygro) | Gerber Childrenswear | Often used by consumers in the U.S. as if it were generic; "Onesies" is still a legally trademarked brand name of Gerber Childrenswear, which objects to its usage in the singular form as "Onesie" or as a generic product name.[144] Recently used to describe an adult bodysuit.[145] |
Pampers | Diapers | Procter & Gamble | Pampers are frequently used as a synonym for diapers in Russia and other CIS countries irrespective of actual brand.[146] |
Photoshop | Photo manipulation | Adobe Inc. | Commonly used as a verb to generically describe digital manipulation or compositing of photographs.[147] See Photoshop (verb). |
Ping Pong | Table tennis | Parker Brothers | Originally trademarked by Jaques and Son, was later passed to Parker Bros. A number of U.S. organizations nowadays are required to refer its sport as table tennis as means of trademark protection.[148][149] |
Plasticine | Modelling clay | Flair Leisure Products plc | Often applied as a name for a putty-like modelling material made from calcium salts, petroleum jelly and aliphatic acids. It is often used as modelling medium for art such as claymation.[150] |
Play-Doh | Modelling clay | Hasbro | In 2011, the United Kingdom High Court determined "Play Dough" to be trademarked by Hasbro after a German toy maker labelled its Yummy Dough edible modelling clay with the strapline "THE EDIBLE PLAY DOUGH!".[151][152][153] |
Plexiglas, Plexiglass | Acrylic glass | Altuglas International, Rohm & Haas (formerly) | Often misspelled with a double "s", which appears to have become generic, possibly providing partial protection for the tradename "Plexiglas"[154][155] |
Pogo | Corn dog | ConAgra Foods | The generic, but still trademarked, term for corn dogs in Canada, derived from the popular brand.[156][157] |
Popsicle | Ice pop; ice lolly (UK); icy pole (Australia) | Good Humor-Breyers, part of Unilever | [158][159] |
Portakabin | Portable building | Portakabin Ltd., owned by Shepherd Building Group | Widely used term for a portable modular building in the UK.[160][161] Portakabin is among the brands poked fun at by the satirical magazine Private Eye over its attempts to protect the term against genericization.[162] |
Positraction | Limited-slip differential | General Motors | Marketing term for clutch-type limited-slip differentials on vehicles sold by General Motors' Chevrolet division; now commonly used to refer to any limited-slip differential, regardless of automaker or type.[163] |
Post-it | Sticky note | 3M | Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the UK, U.S. and Canada, but still a legally recognized trademark.[164] |
PostShop | post office | NZ Post | Widely use to refer to post offices in New Zealand, although the CamelCase form is the only one on the registered trademark.[165] |
Pot Noodle | Instant noodles | Unilever | Used widely in the United Kingdom as it is the dominant brand.[160] |
PowerPoint | Slide show presentation program | Microsoft | [166] |
Pritt Stick | Glue stick | Henkel | A newspaper article by the Daily Mirror (on 27 March 2010) treated the brand as a generic name,[167] another example of use is by The Guardian on its 16 June 2007 article.[168] |
Putt-Putt golf | Miniature golf | Putt-Putt Fun Center | [169] |
Pyrex | Borosilicate glass | Instant Brands | [citation needed] |
Q-tips | Cotton swabs; cotton buds (UK and Ireland); cotton tip (Australia) | Unilever | Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the U.S. and Canada, but still a legally recognized trademark.[170] |
Razor scooter | compact folding scooter | Micro Mobility Systems | [citation needed] |
Realtor | Real estate agent | National Association of Realtors | Often used by the public, the media, and even real estate agents to refer generally to any real estate agent, but the term is a legally recognized trademark of the National Association of Realtors. The terms "Realtor" and "Realtors" refer to members of this association, and not to real estate agents generally. The National Association of Realtors is engaged in ongoing efforts to prevent the mark from becoming generic. These efforts include, among other things, writing to members of the media to complain of improper usage, distribution of information and guidelines on correct usage, and the development of an educational video on the subject.[171] |
Rizla | Rolling paper | Imperial Tobacco | Often used to describe rolling papers which are used to contain rolled tobacco or cannabis.[172] |
Rollerblade | Inline skates | Nordica, owned by Tecnica Group | Commonly used name by consumers in the U.S. and Canada, but the name is still a trademark.[173] |
Romex | Non-metallic sheathed cable, Thermoplastic-sheathed cable | Southwire (company).[174] | Commonly used name by consumers in the U.S., but the name is still a trademark.[citation needed] |
Roomba | Robotic vacuum cleaner | iRobot Corporation | Commonly used to refer to robotic vacuum cleaners, regardless of brand.[citation needed] |
Rugby | Rubber cement | Bostik Philippines, Inc. | Being the first rubber cement brand in the Philippines, eventually used to refer to any brand of rubber contact cement.[175] See also Rugby boy, a collective term for destitute youths known for their use of rubber cement as an inhalant. |
Sawzall | Reciprocating saw | Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation | Commonly used to refer to a reciprocating saw, regardless of brand.[citation needed] |
Scalextric | Slot car | Hornby Railways | Used commonly in the United Kingdom to describe slot cars and the hobbies itself.[176] |
Scotch tape | Clear adhesive tape (US) | 3M | Appears in dictionaries as both generic and trademarked.[177] "Trademark Law" advises that proper usage is "Scotch brand cellophane tape" to combat "generic tendencies".[178] |
Ski-Doo | Snowmobile | Bombardier Recreational Products | Usage in Canada, especially Quebec and British Columbia.[179] |
Sea-Doo | Sit-down personal watercraft | Bombardier Recreational Products | Used regionally in the U.S. (where the company holds 50.3% of the market share) to refer to any type of sit-down PWC. Usage is strongest in Canada, especially in Quebec, where the manufacturer is based.[180] |
Sellotape | Clear adhesive tape (UK and Ireland) | Sellotape Company, owned by Henkel Consumer Adhesives | Often used generically as a verb and noun.[181][182][183] Appears in dictionaries as both generic and trademarked.[184] |
Sharpie | Permanent marker | Sanford L.P., owned by Newell Brands | James Faulkner, Sanford's marketing manager, has said "In America the Sharpie name is used as the generic for a permanent marker".[185] |
Skilsaw | Circular saw | NANJING CHERVON INDUSTRY CO. | Commonly used instead of saying circular saw.[citation needed] |
Softail | Motorcycle suspension | Harley-Davidson | Registered trademark[186] for a line of Harley-Davidson motorcycles with a suspension that mimics the appearance of a rigid frame, and has since been used to refer to motorcycles of other makes with hidden rear suspensions as well as bicycles incorporating a rear suspension.[187] |
Speedo | Swim briefs | Speedo | [188] |
Stetson | Cowboy hat | John B. Stetson Company | Although John B. Stetson Company manufactures other types of brimmed hats, the word Stetson has been long used[189] for a generic cowboy hat which features a high crown and wide brim. |
Stanley knife | Utility knife | Stanley Works | In Great Britain, the press and law enforcement officers have referred to it as Stanley knife during incidents, regardless if said weapon is actually a utility knife. The trademark has since become a dictionary term.[190] |
Stelvin closure | Screw cap | Rio Tinto Alcan | Often used generically.[191] |
Styrofoam | Polystyrene foam | Dow Chemical Company (formerly), DuPont | In the United States and Canada, "styrofoam" is often used as a generic term for disposable foam cups, plates, coolers and packing material, although these are made from a different polystyrene product than true Styrofoam Brand Foam,[192] which is made for thermal insulation and craft applications.[193] |
Super Glue | Cyanoacrylate adhesive | Super Glue Corporation | The term "superglue" is often used informally as a verb or noun, but is still a trademark (US)[194] |
Super Heroes | Superhero | DC Comics, Marvel Comics | The two-word version of the term is a joint trademark co-owned by DC Comics and Marvel Comics.[195] |
Tannoy | Public-address (PA) system | Tannoy Ltd. | UK usage[196] |
Targa top | Semi-convertible hard roof panel | Porsche | Although first used in the 1960s, trademark was not claimed until the 1970s, when its popularity grew; hence, the name is treated as a generic trademark by the general public and the motoring press to describe a detachable hard roof panel for cars.[197] |
Tarmac | Asphalt road surface | Tarmac | Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the UK and Canada, but still a legally recognized trademark.[198] |
Taser | Electroshock weapon, stun gun | Taser Systems, Taser International | Originally TASER, an acronym for a fictional weapon: Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle.[199] Taser is a registered tradename, prompting a backformed verb "to tase" which means "to use a Taser on", although "to taser" is also commonly used. |
Tayto | Crisps (Ireland) | Intersnack | Very common in Ireland to refer to all crisps and potato or corn based snacks as Tayto[200] |
Tesafilm | Clear adhesive tape | Tesa SE | Very common in Germany to adhesive tapes[citation needed] |
Thermos | Vacuum-insulated flask | Taiyo Nippon Sanso subsidiaries: Thermos GmbH (Germany), Thermos LLC (US), etc. | Originally registered by Thermos GmbH, this has long been the dominant brand in many countries (especially for "traditional"-style flasks primarily intended for coffee or soup, while other brands have overtaken Thermos in specific niche markets, such as Contigo for insulated sports hydration bottles). While thermos (in lower-case) was declared generic in the United States Second Circuit (New York, Connecticut, and Vermont) in 1963,[201] Thermos in upper-case remains a registered trademark of Thermos LLC in those states, and in upper- or lower-case in the rest of the US; it is also a registered trademark of Thermos GmbH subsidiaries and licensees "in over 115 countries".[202] The parent corporation is now Taiyo Nippon Sanso, which bought Thermos GmbH and its subsidiaries in 1989. |
Transformer | Mecha | Hasbro/Tomy | Became used largely due to the success of the film franchise, regardless of its need for human pilots or lack of transforming capabilities, most commonly a Gundam. Example: During the 2020 Summer Olympics, the BBC was called out on Twitter by the anime press and its fanbase for mistaking a monument of RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn), installed outside Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza for a Transformer.[203][204][205] |
Tipp-Ex | Correction fluid | Tipp-Ex GmbH & Co. KG | Common throughout Europe[206] |
Tivoli | Amusement park | Tivoli A/S | The Danish Tivoli Gardens amusement park has registered its colloquial name "Tivoli" as company name and trademark. In Danish language, the word "tivoli" has however been a generic term for "amusement park" from before the Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843[207] and is still used as such, for instance in the name of many other amusement parks all over Denmark[208] and other Scandinavian countries. This is currently the focal point of several legal disagreements,[209] with the first (Tivoli A/S vs Innocent Pictures ApS) leading to a win for Tivoli A/S in Denmark's Supreme Court in September 2010.[210] |
Tupperware | Plastic storage containers | Earl Tupper | Preparation, storage, containment, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which were first introduced to the public in 1946.[211] |
Uber | Ridesharing company | Uber | Frequently used as a verb.[212] |
Vaseline | Petroleum jelly, petrolatum | Unilever | Often used by consumers as if it were generic, but still a legally recognized trademark.[170] |
Velcro | Hook-and-loop fastener | Velcro Companies | Used as generic, but still trademarked.[213] Often used as a verb.[214] |
Vetsin | Monosodium glutamate | Tien Chun Ve-Tsin | Philippine term for monosodium glutamate, from the formerly most popular brand. Ajinomoto leads the monosodium glutamate market presently, but people still refer to it as Vetsin/Bitsin.[215] In China, the term "Vetsin" (味精, Weijing) has never been a trade mark. |
Walkman | Personal stereo | Sony | Was often used generically for any portable stereo player (usually cassette players), and in 2002 an Austrian court ruled that it had passed into common usage,[216] but still a legally recognized trademark.[217] |
WaveRunner | Personal water craft | Yamaha Motor Company | Often used, along with Jet Ski, to refer to any type of personal watercraft.[218] |
Winnebago | Recreational vehicle | Winnebago Industries | Used in the United Kingdom to describe a coach sized American motorhome. The term is also used generically in the United States describe pretty much any motorhome, but not to the same extent.[219] |
Wite-Out | Correction fluid | Société Bic | A white liquid applied with a brush used to hide mistakes, written or typed, with ink so they can be overwritten. (US, see also Tipp-Ex in the UK and Ireland)[131] |
Xerox | Photocopier or to make a photocopy | Xerox | Xerox has used "trademark awareness" advertisements to prevent the brand from becoming a generic noun or verb, including such statements as "You can't make a Xerox."[220] However, it is used in the Philippines,[221] India, Russia, and Brazil as a generic word for 'photocopy'. |
Zamboni | Ice resurfacer | Zamboni Company | Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. has taken a strong stance against its trademark dilution, the Zamboni name being used as a genericized trademark for ice resurfacers;[222] the company holds a registered trademark on the design and configuration of the Zamboni Ice Resurfacer by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.[223] |
Zeppelin | Rigid airship | Luftschiffbau Zeppelin | [224][225] |
Zimmer frame | Walking frame | Zimmer Holdings | [citation needed] |
Ziploc | Zipper storage bag | SC Johnson | [citation needed] |
Zodiac | Inflatable boat | Zodiac Milpro | [citation needed] |
Zoom | Videoconferencing | Zoom Video Communications | Frequently used as a verb.[226] |
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