WikiSysop at 08:29, 19 October 2009

2009-10-19T08:29:38Z

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== Neologisms and Trademarks ==

is not good to push things into public vernacular as verbing isn't so good; trademarks get lost in realm of generics, brand value cannot be protected then. if a company name becomes a verb or is added to dictionary, it enteres public odomain and company lsoes its intellectual property rights

eg: q-tips, kleenex, xerox, escalator

Escalator, Escalate - the word escalator was originally trademarked by Charles Seeberger in 1900, to coincide with his device’s debut at the Exposition Universelle. The verb "escalate" originated in 1922, and has two uses, the primary: "to climb or reach by means of an escalator" or "to travel on an escalator", and the secondary: "to increase or develop by successive stages; spec. to develop from 'conventional' warfare into nuclear warfare." The latter definition was first printed in the Manchester Guardian in 1959, but grew to prominent use during the late 1960s and early 1970s. But in 1950 the term had entered a state of being so genericised that Otis Elevator Co lost a landmark legal battle to keep the trademark. All trademark protections were removed from the word "escalator", the term was officially genericized, and it fell into the public domain.

Neologisms - Revision history

WikiSysop at 08:29, 19 October 2009