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Don't Say Velcro (2017)

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Re: Don't Say Velcro (2017)

#151

Post by Biganon »

wazoox wrote: post #68
bradley13 wrote: post #5

Reminds me of the dark ages, when Xerox was so dominant in the copier market that people used their brand as a noun and a verb. They were threatened with loss of their trademark, because it had become so generic. So they had a massive publicity campaign, asking people to say "copy" instead of "xerox". Is this a uniquely US thing? In the UK, people always say "hoover" instead of "vacuum".

In France many trademarks became generic names: Frigidaire and its abbreviated form frigo is the standard name for a refrigerator (nobody ever says "réfrigérateur"). Kleenex is the standard word meaning "paper handkerchief". Sopalin is the standard word for "roll of paper towels". Many automotive parts are called from a brand name too : "Delco" is the only name an igniter is ever called; a flexible black tube is alwa…

I'm Swiss (French speaking) and I call cellophane "saran", which... is another brand!

Re: Don't Say Velcro (2017)

#152

Post by Fatnino »

compiler-guy wrote: post #146
gumby wrote: post #89

« Velcro » is just roughly short for “hook (and) loop” in French (Velour et crochet — velvet and hook). So why not use the abbreviation? Trademarking it is like trademarking any common word, like Windows. Actually I do have some sympathy; from working at Xerox I somehow was convinced to say “photocopy” (not that anyone uses either expression any more). And I always say “web search” because I don’t want to endorse or…

"Velcro" wasn't a common word, and was not short for "hook and loop" when the company trademarked it. They coined the term. They are desperately trying to make it _not_ the abbreviation this comment claims it to be. Quite like "kleenex" in that way. Normal people generally shouldn't care what the company's legal team wants or thinks--this campaign certainly doesn't stop me from using the term generically--but if the…

Based on nothing but my gut:

Velcro is the right word.

Xerox is acceptable but not what I reach for first.

Kleenex just sounds wrong. It's tissue and always has been.

Maybe it's a regional thing? NorCal.

Re: Don't Say Velcro (2017)

#154

Post by ajcp »

janci wrote: post #139
Nifty3929 wrote: post #104

I think this is one of those weird cases where they have to tell you the opposite of what they actually want, for legal reasons. I think VELCRO(r) actually DOES want everybody to use their name the way it is commonly used - it's good for brand recognition. But legally, retaining control of their brand requires them to clearly defend it from such generic use. This post is an example of that. If someone is using their…

Same as LEGO brick controversy. Supposedly the bricks are not Legos, LEGOs and certainly not legos. At least per their legal dept.

I think it's a North American thing to call anything LEGO "Legos", denoting that it is a thing made up of many pieces of "Lego" right? In Europe if you pointed to a LEGO set or a pile of LEGO pieces every response you'd get would be "that's LEGO". But then again in Europe, or at least in Germany, we had many different brands to choose from for the same kind of construction play, whereas in North America it seemed like it's just LEGO.

Re: Don't Say Velcro (2017)

#155

Post by whatgoodisaroad »

There's a straussian dynamic at work here where the company wants to informally encourage generic use of their brand, but must also formally defend proper use of their brand for legal reasons. Courts need to see you at least appear to defend yourself.

Re: Don't Say Velcro (2017)

#156

Post by bena »

janci wrote: post #139
Nifty3929 wrote: post #104

I think this is one of those weird cases where they have to tell you the opposite of what they actually want, for legal reasons. I think VELCRO(r) actually DOES want everybody to use their name the way it is commonly used - it's good for brand recognition. But legally, retaining control of their brand requires them to clearly defend it from such generic use. This post is an example of that. If someone is using their…

Same as LEGO brick controversy. Supposedly the bricks are not Legos, LEGOs and certainly not legos. At least per their legal dept.

Yes, the people who say "Lego" is the "correct" plural are also wrong according to the document they cite for that opinion.

The Lego Group's material says that you are never to use Lego as a noun. It's always "Lego bricks", "Lego sets", "Lego minifigures", etc.

Colloquially, they don't really care what you call them, plural or singular.

Re: Don't Say Velcro (2017)

#158

Post by msikora »

Probably different with Velcro, but in the case of Google wouldn't the term "google it" which just really means "search it on the internet" be extremely helpful? Helpful in ways very different from velcro or gilette (in many countries generic term for 'razor')

Re: Don't Say Velcro (2017)

#159

Post by Fuzzwah »

Fatnino wrote: post #152
compiler-guy wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Velcro" wasn't a common word, and was not short for "hook and loop" when the company trademarked it. They coined the term. They are desperately trying to make it _not_ the abbreviation this comment claims it to be. Quite like "kleenex" in that way. Normal people generally shouldn't care what the company's legal team wants or thinks--this campaign certainly doesn't stop me from using the term generically--but if the…

Based on nothing but my gut: Velcro is the right word. Xerox is acceptable but not what I reach for first. Kleenex just sounds wrong. It's tissue and always has been. Maybe it's a regional thing? NorCal.

Of course it's a regional thing. There's many examples from around the world. For many in Britain "hoover" is synonymous with vacuum cleaners, and "tannoy' for loud speaker / public address system.
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