I had to look this up. The inventor never trademarked the name and it was used by a competitor almost immediately. He lost a lawsuit over linoleum becoming a generic term 14 years after it’s invention. There were other brand names but linoleum became a generic term almost as soon as the product was widespread.
I heard that in the South every carbonated beverage is a Coke. However, I don’t understand how this works practically. If you wanted a Sprite, would you order a Coke-Sprite?
Also Heroin, but Bayer probably is fine with letting that trademark lapse. (Also Aspirin was a Bayer trademark).
It’s more like of someone asks if you want a soda, they would instead ask if you want a Coke. You would then ask what kind they have. If you want a specific type at a restaurant, you would just say the kind you wanted.
No, you’d order a sprite. It’s not like people order Soda-Sprite or Pop-Sprite. It only might get confusing for coke. And even then, usually, you can infer it they mean the general idea or, specifically, cocacola.
It’s called a genericized trademark. There’s plenty, including aspirin and heroin.
It’s also common to call these Kleenex in the US.
Definitely seems like a strange decision.
I assume velcro is another one?
Yep, that’s why there’s so many things called hook and loop, to avoid the trademark.
Xerox, linoleum
Bandaid
What’s the generic for linoleum? I wasn’t aware that this was a brand name
I had to look this up. The inventor never trademarked the name and it was used by a competitor almost immediately. He lost a lawsuit over linoleum becoming a generic term 14 years after it’s invention. There were other brand names but linoleum became a generic term almost as soon as the product was widespread.
I heard that in the South every carbonated beverage is a Coke. However, I don’t understand how this works practically. If you wanted a Sprite, would you order a Coke-Sprite?
Also Heroin, but Bayer probably is fine with letting that trademark lapse. (Also Aspirin was a Bayer trademark).
It’s more like of someone asks if you want a soda, they would instead ask if you want a Coke. You would then ask what kind they have. If you want a specific type at a restaurant, you would just say the kind you wanted.
This is the best explanation of this particular phenomenon that I think I’ve ever heard.
No, you’d order a sprite. It’s not like people order Soda-Sprite or Pop-Sprite. It only might get confusing for coke. And even then, usually, you can infer it they mean the general idea or, specifically, cocacola.
Is Teflon a genericized trademark? Not sure I’d there’s any diff between that and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)?
Hoover is one, where I am at least
Americans don’t usually use Hoover to refer to a vacuum as a noun like the Brits do, though. It’s sometimes used as a verb though.
Saran wrap was one from my childhood, mum still uses a lot of these, I mostly say cling film these days
Also sellotape instead of sticky tape.