Trademarks that have become household names

In everyday language, many people use names that were once trademarks without even realizing it. Nowadays, many trademarks have become household names.

As stated in Art. 1483 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation: “State registration as trademarks of designations that do not have distinctive ability or consist only of elements: 1) that have come into general use to designate goods of a certain type;... ” is not allowed. This is the definition that the legislation interprets in relation to designations that have given rise to an association with a specific type of product.

Quite rarely, but still encountered, such a thing as a “proprietary eponym” is an eponym that represents trademarks or trade names that, due to their popularity or significance, have become generic terms or synonyms for a general class of products or services, usually against intent owner of the trademark .

Often, when a manufacturer launches a new, unique product and brings it to market, this results in the trademark for that product being established as a common noun. The most popular and well-known examples of such trademarks include, for example: Xerox (Xerox photocopier), Thermos (vacuum containers of the Japanese corporation Thermos LLC), Vaseline (a pasty white liquid, odorless and tasteless, consisting of a mixture of mineral oil and solid paraffins - Vaseline is a trademark of Unilever cosmetics), Pampers (diapers from Procter & Gamble), Toilet (a word that has become a household word from the name of the company Unitas, which launched the production of products for restrooms). There are many examples of such trademarks, and in this article we will analyze not so popular, but at the same time interesting examples.

• Marker (Flomaster)

The marker, a common tool for writing and drawing, derives its name from the trademark "Flo-Master," produced by Cushman & Denison in 1951. These markers were initially made for writing on glass.

• Chupa Chups

Continuing the theme of items from childhood, it’s hard not to stop at everyone’s favorite confectionery product - lollipops.

In 1958, the Spaniard Enric Bernat founded Chupa Chups. The company specialized in selling striped lollipops. The lollipops began to sell very well and became widely popular. An interesting fact about this story is that the logo was designed by Salvador Dali.

The word lollipop came to be used as a synonym for any lollipop. Today, "Chupa Chups" is owned by Perfetti Van Melle (certificate numbers 172567, 175740, 198368, and others).

• Eskimo

Continuing the theme of confectionery, you should pay attention to a delicious treat - popsicle ice cream (a block of vanilla ice cream, covered with a layer of chocolate, put on a stick, in a wrapper). The name of this type of ice cream comes from the trademark "Eskimo Pie", known since 1921, which currently belongs to the Nestlé concern.

As can be seen from the practice of registering trademarks, the verbal element “popsicle” is used by many ice cream producers; in trademarks it is indicated as an unprotected element, for example: trademarks under certificate numbers 746053, 1007159, 421981, and others).

• Jacuzzi

Jacuzzi company was founded in 1915 and in 1956 the company began producing hydromassage baths. The company constantly improved its invention, receiving a total of more than 250 patents for hot tubs. The name of the company comes from the surnames of the seven brothers who founded it, immigrants from Italy. Their products set the tone for the entire industry, and the word itself became a household word, first in English, and then in the rest. So, you can often hear how any hydromassage bath is called a “jacuzzi”.

• Keds

The well-known sneakers date back to 1916, when unusual canvas shoes with rubber soles under the trademark “keds”, produced by the US Rubber company, hit the market. Lightweight athletic shoes, originally created only for sports, soon became everyday shoes for many people. Now this word is used in relation to everyday shoes.

• Leukoplast

The Leukoplast trademark appeared on retail shelves in 1921 (the first adhesive plaster was produced in 1901). The adhesive plaster was produced by Beiersdorf.

Currently, the words plaster, medical plaster and adhesive plaster are synonymous.

As can be seen from the practice of registering trademarks, the verbal element “adhesive plaster” is used by many manufacturers of dressings; in trademarks it is indicated as an unprotected element, for example: trademarks according to certificate No. 789535, 203557, 795023, etc.)

• Aqualung

"Aqualung" is a trademark for a self-contained breathing apparatus intended for scuba diving. The device was invented in 1943 by the French Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan. The word “scuba” quickly became commonly used in relation to underwater diving devices. The trademark is now owned by Equitis Gestion (international registration number 893909).

• Hair Dryer (FOEN)

Initially, products for drying and styling hair were produced only by FOEN. The word FOEN itself means warm alpine wind. Hair dryers first appeared in Germany in 1900. Now the word hair dryer has become a household word and is used in relation to devices for drying hair.

• Cologne

Eau de Cologne - “Cologne water”, a perfume created by Italian perfumer Johann Maria Farina, and which has become a general designation for all perfumes with a light aroma.

As can be seen from the practice of registering trademarks, the verbal element “cologne” is used by many perfume manufacturers; in trademarks it is indicated as an unprotected element, for example: trademarks according to certificate No. 251144, 407050, 587335, etc.

• Liquid Nails

"Liquid Nails" is a highly adhesive construction glue that is applied to bonding surfaces like nails or screws. The name comes from the American glue LIQUID NAILS. The trademark "Liquid Nails" is owned by PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. (certificate numbers 343523, 337203, 212561).

The above list of examples is not exhaustive, and this topic covers many more examples and can be developed ad infinitum. In conclusion, I would also like to dwell on a few more interesting notations.

• Spam

The word “spam” is used in everyday life almost every day – it can be found in news feeds and colloquial speech. The story of its origin is very interesting.

SPAM comes from the English abbreviation SPiced hAM – “spiced ham”. This is the name of canned meat produced by the American company Hormel Foods since 1937. The manufacturer used large-scale and aggressive methods to promote its product, and many joked that it was impossible to hide from SPAM and impossible to get rid of. As you can see, the word “spam” has taken root so much that it is now used as a definition of junk mail, mailings, etc.

• Slantsy (slippers)

In colloquial speech, "slantsy" often refers to casual summer footwear. The term "slippers" originated from the city of Slantsy in the Leningrad region, where the "Polymer" factory produced rubber flip-flops. The name of the city was stamped on the footwear, leading to the term "slantsy" becoming synonymous with flip-flops.

The diversity of trademarks that have become household names demonstrates that products can become so popular that their names are used for similar items. Despite the passage of time since these trademarks became generic, we continue to use these terms today, and the list grows each year.