What's In a Verb? Google Threatens to Clamp Down on Word Usage

Internet search engine Google Inc (Google) has announced that it intends to crack down on use of its name as a verb. A representative for the search company recently said: "We think it's important to make the distinction between using the word "˜Google' to describe using Google to search the Internet and using the word "˜google' to generally describe searching the Internet. It has some serious trademark issues". If a trade-mark becomes generic, the owner can lose the right to control use of the mark. A trade-mark for a product can become generic when it no longer identifies the product provided by the owner, but instead refers to a kind of product that may be provided by anyone. An example is "escalator", which at one time was a trade-mark. One way to stop a trade-mark from becoming generic is education of the consumer, in part through control of usage of the mark. That is one of the reasons why trade-mark lawyers care about marking trademarks with TM or ®. Some commentators are critical of Google for even attempting to curb the use of the word Google as a verb, claiming that the once laid-back search giant has begun to take itself too seriously. Others feel that Google should see its incorporation into the English language as a compliment. However, Google's position is one taken by many other businesses attempting to maintain their intellectual property. AOL, for example, has contacted media outlets in the past over the use of the term "instant messenger" to describe any IM application. For the full text of relevant news article, see: http://makeashorterlink.com/?R592218AD Summary by: Heather Watts