[LEAPSECS] Meeting with Wayne Whyte

[Daniel R. Tobias]

On 1 Feb 2011 at 13:23, Steve Allen wrote:


> This is the problem which corporations solve by trademarks which allow

> them ownership of words and ability to protect and change their

> meaning.


Unless the trademark falls victim to "genericide", where enough 
people use it as a generic word that a court eventually decides that 
it is no longer protected.  That's why Google prefers people not 
refer to "googling" for something, as flattering as that is to their 
company.  Other trademarks in some degree of danger of this sort, 
some of which have proceeded so far in the direction of genericness 
that you might not even realize they're trademarks, include Kleenex, 
Xerox, Ping-Pong, Rollerblade, and Realtor.  Former trademarks that 
went generic include aspirin, cellophane, zipper, and escalator.
 

> Today anyone who goes around calling people "gay" is going to be

> regarded as ignorant or offensive.


Do it at a gay pride parade and they'll probably say "Well, duh!"


-- 
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