trademarks
(Miscellany)(None of the information here has been verified from legal sources. I collated it from Richard Lederer's _Crazy English_ and from various dictionaries. Thanks to Anno Siegel, to Steve Cramer, and to Jesse Sheidlower of Random House, for doing electronic searches for me. Question marks indicate that my sources conflict. The info, even if not totally mistaken, often applies only to some countries.) 1) words that were once trademarks, but as a result of legal decisions or otherwise lost that status a) familiar words aspirin, brassiere ? , cellophane, celluloid, corn flakes ? , corselet (undergarment, from Corselette), Cuisenaire rod, dry ice ? , escalator, gramophone, granola, gunk, heroin, immunogen, jungle gym (from Junglegym), kerosene, lanolin ? , launderette, linoleum, lite (beer) ? , magnum (gun, cartridge), mah-jongg, milk of magnesia, mimeograph, pogo (stick), raisin bran ? , saran, shredded wheat, tabloid, tarmac ? , thermos, touch-tone ? , trampoline ? , vibraharp, vulcanized fibre, windbreaker (jacket) ? , yo-yo, zipper b) chemical and medical terms agene, amidol, antipyrine, duralumin, formalin, hirudin, Janus green (from Janus), malathion, mecamylamine, ninhydrin, parathormone, pulmotor, ronnel, toxaphene, vasopressin c) miscellaneous more obscure words Allen screw, Allen wrench, autogiro, barathea, beaverboard, chainomatic, cube steak ? , corona (cigar), cyclostyle, ditto (to copy printed matter etc. on a duplicator), excelsior (wood shavings), georgette, graphophone, gunite, iconoscope, kinescope, kinetoscope, klaxon ? , klystron, leatherette, moviola, moxie, simonize (from Simoniz), speedwriting, stenotype ? , thyratron 2) words derived from trademarks aqualunger (from Aqualung), Bundt cake, cola (from Coca-Cola), dexamethasone (perhaps from Dexamyl), isoproterenol (from Arterenol), kart (probably from GoKart), organza (probably from Lorganza), payola (influenced by Victrola), Phillips head (from Phillips Screws), pyronine (from Pyronin), secobarbital (from Seconal), STP (hallucinogenic drug, probably from STP motor-oil additive) 3) words that are still trademarks, although many people use them generically Adrenalin (the generic words are "adrenaline" and "epinephrine"), AstroTurf, Autoharp, BVDs, Baggies, Bakelite, Band-Aid, Beer Nuts, Benzedrine, Biro, Boogie Board, Breathalyzer, Brillo Pads, Caplet, Carborundum, Chap Stick, Chemical Mace, Chiclets, Cinerama, Coca-Cola/Coke, Colorization ? (process of adding colour to black-and-white footage), Cuisinart, Dacron, Day-Glo, Deepfreeze, Demerol, Dianetics, Dictaphone, Dictograph, Ditto machine, Dixie cups, Dolby, Dow Jones Average, Dry Ice ? , Dumpster, Dvorak Keyboard, Erector Set, Eskimo Pie, Ethernet, Exercycle, Fiberglas, Fig Newtons, Formica, Freon, Frigidaire, Frisbee, Grand Marnier, Green Stamp, Hacky Sack, Hammond organ, Hide-a-Bed, Hi-Liter, Hoover, Hula-Hoop, Identi-Kit, Invar, Jacuzzi, Jarlsberg, Jeep, Jell-O, Jockey Shorts, Kewpie (doll), Kitty Litter, Kleenex, Ko-Rec-Type, Kodak, Laundromat, Levi's, Liederkranz (cheese), Life Savers (candy), Linotype ? , Liquid Paper, Lucite, Mace (spray), Mack (truck), Magic Marker, Mailgram, Malathion, Mary Janes (sprinkles, shoes), Masonite, Mellotron, Metroliner, Miltown (tranquilizer), Minicam, Monel, Monotype (typesetting machine), Muzak, Novocain, NutraSweet, Orlon, Pan-Cake (cosmetic), Parcheesi (the generic word is "pachisi"), Peg-Board (perfboard), Phonevision, Photostat, Pianola (player piano), Picturephone, Ping-Pong (table tennis), Playbill (theatre programme), Play-Doh, Plexiglas, Polaroid, Pop Tarts, Popsicle, Post-it Note, Pyrex, Q-Tip, Realtor, Rollerblade, Roller Derby, Roquefort (salad dressing), SAT, Sanforized, Sanka, Scientology, Scotch Tape, Scrabble, Seeing Eye (dog), Sellotape, Sheetrock, Skivvies, Slim Jim, Styrofoam, Super glue, Tarmac ? , Technicolor, Teflon, TelePrompTer, Teletype, Thermos, Touch-Tone ? , TV Dinners, UNIX, Valium, Vaseline, Velcro, Victrola, Vitallium, Walkman, Wedgwood (ceramic ware), Welcome Wagon, Wiffle Ball, Windbreaker (jacket) ? , X-Acto, Xerox, Yellow Pages ? , Zamboni 4) words erroneously believed to be trademarks nylon Trademark information can be obtained from the International Trademark Association (INTA; formerly the U.S. Trademark Association), 1133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-6712.
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