TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
As a former trademark attorney, let me chime in with the rest of the
posters. Asking your law department is important, especially since it
ultimately is their responsibility to ensure that you use the company's
intellectual property correctly.
?
However, there's something else to think about besides the use of the
various symbols (TM, SM, (r)). You also have to use the trademark
correctly in order to protect it. U.S. law requires that a trademark be
used as an adjective rather than a noun or verb (descriptive use). This
is where many users have gone wrong--and committed what has come to be
known as "genericide." The best examples are aspirin and escalator. They
became nouns rather than "brand names" and passed into the public domain
as common words--their users could no longer claim them as private
property. This almost happened to Xerox and Band-Aid as well. If you
listen closely, you may hear "Band-Aid brand" bandages or "photocopy"
instead of "xerox."
?
Besides federal law, there's also a labyrinth of state laws to navigate
concerning notices and registration.
?
Just my two cents from previous experience.
?
Gail Ludvigson
Seattle, WA 98105
------------------------------
In line with this reasoning, has "google" officially lost its status as
a brand name?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing
solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. http://www.doctohelp.com
Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
