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Product names used generically

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Topic:	7) Product names used generically (1 of 9), Read 124 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Barbara Wallraff ([email protected])
Date:	Wednesday, November 18, 1998 12:55 PM

Gregory Altreuter, of New York, N.Y., writes: "Many of my friends, family, and acquaintances use the names of products as equivalent to their generic designations: Kleenex for facial tissues, Band-Aid for bandage, White-Out for typing-correction fluid, Xerox for photocopy. While I am convinced there is a word for this process of a trademark entering the vernacular, no one can tell me what it is. Without access to a reverse dictionary, I don't know if I'm totally off base here. Perhaps you can tell me."

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (2 of 9), Read 110 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Greg Norton ([email protected])
Date:	Wednesday, November 18, 1998 09:43 PM

Probably "trademark generalization" for when a trademark ceases to be specific to a particular brand but is generalized to cover a category.

Nort.

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (3 of 9), Read 85 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	James Shull ([email protected])
Date:	Friday, November 20, 1998 03:49 AM

"Trademark synechdoche"? Not terribly inventive or clever, but serviceable.

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (4 of 9), Read 84 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Judy Lewis ([email protected])
Date:	Friday, November 20, 1998 01:30 PM

logodoption?

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (5 of 9), Read 62 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Michael Fischer ([email protected])
Date:	Sunday, November 22, 1998 12:21 PM

On 11/20/98 1:30:03 PM, Judy Lewis wrote:
>logodoption?
>

that's very good, but why don't we try to
make the word look like what it means:
(see WF #5)

xeroxidation?
frigidarwinism??
kleenextortion!!

by the way, would a person who coined such a word be called an ycleptomaniac??

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (6 of 9), Read 63 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Barbara Wallraff ([email protected])
Date:	Sunday, November 22, 1998 01:55 PM

Very nice, Michael. Of course, ycleptomaniacs deserve to be hauled up before Word Court.

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (7 of 9), Read 54 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Jason Taniguchi ([email protected])
Date:	Monday, November 23, 1998 06:26 PM

From the Toronto Serial Diners Collective:
GPPR. Stands for "Gratuitous Product Placement in Reality". Best we could do in the timex we had to bic something up.

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (8 of 9), Read 24 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	David Honigmann ([email protected])
Date:	Monday, November 30, 1998 07:43 AM

Hoover syndrome?

Topic:	7) Product names used generically (9 of 9), Read 9 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Michael Fischer ([email protected])
Date:	Tuesday, December 01, 1998 03:48 PM

>Hoover syndrome?

that sucks... 8-)

There actually IS a word for this! In business law they call it, predictably, "generification (of a Trademark or brand name)". In order to keep a copyright on the word, a company must prove generification has not occurred and/or that the company has taken reasonable steps to prevent it. This is why one sees ads that say things like "You can't make a Xerox, but you can make the best quality photocopy on a Xerox brand copier."

Topic:	7) product names used genericly (2 of 2), Read 40 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Barbara Wallraff ([email protected])
Date:	Sunday, November 22, 1998 02:01 PM

I suspected there must be a technical term somewhere. Thank you. Of course, this needn't end the search for a creative alternative ...

perhaps it begs the question, but why not use a brand name to coin a term? how about something like 'Cokeism', since 'Coke' often refers to any soft drink, rather than just Coca Cola? I cannot think of another brand name that works better in this context. what do you think?

Topic:	product names used generically (2 of 2), Read 19 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Jeff Taylor ([email protected])
Date:	Tuesday, November 24, 1998 10:47 PM

What about "Crescent-wrenching"? Taken to mean sizing the problem with the jaws of your metaphorical wrench, and once the nut is firmly grasped, turning?

"We walked all around it and kicked it a few times, and then discussed the possibilities just to Crescent-wrench the parameters before we tried to break it loose."

(A mechanic will break a rusted nut loose only after softening it up with penetrating oil. Otherwise, the rusted nut can grip the bolt so hard that it will twist it right off. However, using an actual Crescent wrench in that case might be contraindicated.)

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Topic:	7) product names used genericly (1 of 2), Read 59 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Kristin Streck ([email protected])
Date:	Saturday, November 21, 1998 02:56 PM

Topic:	product names used generically (1 of 2), Read 25 times
Conf:	Word Fugitives, with Barbara Wallraff
From:	Michael Morris ([email protected])
Date:	Tuesday, November 24, 1998 08:35 PM