August 14, 2006 3:01 PM PDT

Google says no 'googling' in trademark warning

by Elinor Mills
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 1 comment

Less than a month after "google" became a verb in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary the namesake is warning companies about using the trademarked word improperly.

In covering the new verb, The Washington Post wrote: "Google, the word, now takes its place alongside the handful of proper nouns that have moved beyond a particular product to become descriptors of an entire sector--generic trademarks."

The venerated Washington Post received a letter from a Google trademark lawyer who objected to that characterization as "genericide."

According to an article in the newspaper about the letter, Google lawyers then proceeded to provide appropriate and inappropriate uses of the word:

"Appropriate: He ego-surfs on the Google search engine to see if he's listed in the results.

Inappropriate: He googles himself."

"Appropriate: I ran a Google search to check out that guy from the party.

Inappropriate: I googled that hottie."

Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.
Recent posts from News Blog
Nvidia puts NForce chipset development on hold
Opera 10 browser is here
Neil Young Archives Blu-ray: Rip off?
Acronis revises survey results about backup habits
Acronis miscalculates data on users' bad backup habits
Flickr co-founder presses beta button
Comcast, Sony open retail store
Cox to try coaxing the Internet into submission
Add a Comment (Log in or register)
by yaramayer July 1, 2009 7:50 AM PDT
OK, that is incredibly senseless. Don't they realize that it's actual costless marketing and that they can NOT go against the culture that has ALREADY built around the name Google?
Take for instance Gilette - in places where the name is considered a synonim to razor, it is still THE most thought of and purchased for that product and others related to it - like shaving cream.
Nonetheless, you just can't fight widespread culture. And especially with young people, the more they go against it, the more it will be used.
Reply to this comment
advertisement

15 sites that went kaput in 2009

Web sites launch all the time, but they also shut their doors. We highlight 15 that bit the dust this year.

Top 10 news stories of the decade

Let the debate begin: Was the iPhone more important than iTunes? Was anything bigger than Google finding a great business model? CNET offers its list of the 10 most important stories of the '00s.

About News Blog

Recent posts on technology, trends, and more.

Add this feed to your online news reader

advertisement
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right