Couple days back I was shocked to read that google didn’t want the term “googled” to be used as a verb for searching. If you have missed that bit of news, here is an excerpt from news.com.
In covering the new verb, The Washington Post wrote: “Google, the word, now takes its place alongside the handful of proper nouns that have moved beyond a particular product to become descriptors of an entire sector–generic trademarks.”
The venerated Washington Post received a letter from a Google trademark lawyer who objected to that characterization as “genericide.”
According to an article in the newspaper about the letter, Google lawyers then proceeded to provide appropriate and inappropriate uses of the word:
“Appropriate: He ego-surfs on the Google search engine to see if he’s listed in the results.
Inappropriate: He googles himself.”
“Appropriate: I ran a Google search to check out that guy from the party.
Inappropriate: I googled that hottie.”
If somebody starts using the word technopedia for searching technical articles, I would be honored. I am sure every other company would feel the same way as well, except google. Is this an act of pride?
If google becomes a verb, Google is going to extra publicity without spending a single dime. Google will become a legend more than what it is right now. The only reason that I can think of this decision to fight google as a verb is that the word google would become so diluted that people would forget that Google is actually a company and not a word in the English dictionary. Some years down the line, there might be a generation who would actually come to a conclusion that the company Google came out of the verb in the English dictionary which means “search”. But this reason wouldn’t hold enough weightage to justify Google’s decision. What were / are they thinking?
The arrogant side of me wants to say that “What’s your problem Google? I can use any term I want.” For all those arrogant peeps out there like me, this google as a verb against a noun wouldn’t bother even in a tiny weeny bit as we keep using it just as always. I don’t need to learn my vocabulary from a company that’s filled with overflowing pride.
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August 17th, 2006 at 8:45 am
I think the real issue with Google is they don’t want their specific brand to become a generic term for searching.
For instance, someone goes to the office supply store to buy post-its and most likely won’t actually buy Post-It brand Post-Its, but the thing that is now referred to as a post it.
Kleenex is a brand, tissue is the product.
There are other examples of where the fact that a specific brand exists, but the brand is no longer relevant. So, google is just afraid of this becoming common place:
“He went to yahoo.com and googled himself”
August 17th, 2006 at 11:52 am
This is also a trademark law issue. Google the company owns a trademark on the name Google. If the word becomes something that is so generic that it looses its ability to point to a specific product/company/service, then Google can lose its trademark on the name. Once that happens, other entities can start to use the word Google in their names and Google the company will have no possible legal means to stop it as the word has become so generic as to have no unique characteristics.
Something like this did happen in England to the vacuum cleaner company Hoover. In England, one hoovers the rug. A vacuum store advertised that they were selling hoovers and when Hoover the company went to sue them, they lost in court because the noun Hoover had become such a common word that the company could not exercise a legal claim of ownership on it any more.
If you were to ask any Google high up, they’re probably very happy to see that their brand is so recognized that it has slipped into common use as a verb. However, the lawyers that Google employs understand trademark law well enough to know that they need to be able to say in court that they have fought to keep the name Google distinct and viable as a property. This will help them in the future if someone were to start to use the word google as a generic word for searching. Don’t blame the company, blame the lawyers.
August 18th, 2006 at 2:29 am
“If the word becomes something that is so generic that it looses its ability to point to a specific product/company/service, then Google can lose its trademark on the name.”
Wikipedia has an article on Generic trademarks, that may help explain what Brad is talking about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_trademark