Trademark Trashing

Part of my job as a copywriter is to take what other people have written and make it better.  One of the things I see most often is an inadvertent tendency to turn trademarked words, which need initial caps, into generic words, which don’t. 

Some of these words have slipped into our language and lost their trademark value, such as old-school linoleum, thought to be the first product name that became a generic in the early 20^th century. Others like aspirin, is still a trademark of Bayer in dozens of countries, but considered a generic term in the U.S.

Many trademarks should not be used alone, but paired with a generic product descriptor.  For example, never write “The house has a jacuzzi,” but rather “The house has a Jacuzzi® whirlpool bath.”

Here are the Top Seven trademarks I often see used incorrectly:

Jacuzzi® is owned by Jacuzzi Brands. The brand should always be used with a generic descriptor, such as Jacuzzi® hot tubs. Never add an ‘s to make Jacuzzi possessive.

Jet Ski® is a trademark of Kawasaki. The generic term is “personal watercraft.”

Bubble Wrap® is owned by Sealed Air Corporation. Don’t use it alone ‒ always say “Bubble Wrap® cushioning material.”

Popsicle® ice pop, Creamsicle® cream pop, Fudgsicle® fudge pop, etc. are all part of the SICLE™ trademark. Always use each with the applicable “pop” descriptor.

VELCRO® closely guards its trademarks. At last count it had 29 of them. Always use the word “brand” and a descriptor. If it’s not a VELCRO® brand fastener, use the generic term “hook and loop fastener.”

BAND-AID® brand is often incorrectly written as bandaid, but as far as I can tell, BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages is still a trademark of Johnson & Johnson.

Weed Eater® is a Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products brand and should never be written as weedeater.

If you’ve used dumpster like many of us, you’ll be glad to know the "trademarked and uppercased" Dumpster has been trashed. Earlier this year, the AP Stylebook officially sanctioned dumpster as the generic term for any large metal trash bin. Other long-time brands you may be tempted to use without their trademarks include Plexiglas®, Xerox®, Hula Hoop® Kleenex®, Ping-Pong®, Frisbee®, and Styrofoam®. Newer brands include Post-It® Brand Products and the TASER® conducted electrical weapon. Never write taser in lowercase. 

What other trademarks do you see misused and abused in marketing? Has anything else you see here become generic? What about in magazine writing and fiction? Are caps enough, with no registration mark needed?