Some words were originally trademarked but have become generic and lost their trademark status. Is there are linguistic term for such words?
Here are some examples that I wasn’t aware were, or are, trademarked:
- Adrenaline – also known as epinephrine, it is trademarked by Parke-Davis in the USA, but widely used generically elsewhere
- Asprin – a medication used to treat pain, fever, or inflammation made from acetylsalicylic acid. Generic in the USA, but still trademarked by Bayer in many other countries
- Dry ice – a solid form of carbon dioxide formerlly trademarked by the Dry Ice Corporation of America
- Escalator – a moving staircase originally trademarked of Otis Elevator Company
- Ping Pong – table tennis, trademarked by Parker Brothers
- Plasticine – modelling clay, trademarked by Flair Leisure Products plc
- Tarmac – still trademarked by Tarmac Ltd, but used generically
- trampoline – originally trademarked by the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company
- Velcro – still trademarked by Velcro Companies but used generically
Can you think of other examples?
Or product names that are becoming generic?
Source: Wikipedia, robdkelly.com
Gramophone
playdoh
In the U.S., a copier is often colloquially called a xerox machine.
In the U.S., Kleenex, Q-Tips, Band-Aids, Jell-O, Walkman. In the UK, Hoover.