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Subject:Re: Product names as adjectives? From:Jane Bergen <janeber -at- CYBERRAMP -dot- NET> Date:Mon, 2 Jun 1997 23:13:47 +0600
On 2 Jun 97, geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA wrote:
> Cheryl Kidder wondered about whether it's kosher to use a
> product's name as a noun, or better to use it as an
> adjective.
>
> The answer, as always, depends. If the product name is
(snipped)
> Sending the letter is just the company's attempt to enforce
> their ownership of the trademark.
>
> So using a product name as a noun isn't strictly legal, but
> it's accepted practice. For example, consult any computer
Beg to differ, Geoff. It's not standard practice at all. It's wrong
to say, "Hand me a Kleenex, I need to wipe my Oreo off my Xeroxed
copy." Pick up any Writer's Digest magazine and you can see ads from
companies and at least one organization asking you to refrain from
using product names as nouns.
> name. To add to the body of evidence, neither my Microsoft
> Word manual nor my RoboHelp manual uses an (R) or a (TM)
> after the product name. That's good enough for me.
Check out the back side of the inside title page. It has information
that includes trademarks, registered trademarks, and copyright.
If we, as writers, do not protect the integrity of brand names, who
will?
Jane Bergen, Technical Writer
AnswerSoft, Inc. - Dallas, TX
janeber -at- cyberramp -dot- net
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