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97 Comments
- lostngone, on 10/12/2007, -6/+62Yes I use "The Google".
- jonathantneal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+55I disagree. That's the most pleasant notice from a lawyer I've ever read. :)
- deanlowe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+32It's a trademark not copyright.
- theXenon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31At work, even though we work for The Microsoft, I was once in a conference call where our suits were discussing something with some other suits, and someone said "well, we couldn't find "n" so we googled it..." and one of the MS suits was all; "what?!! what!! you did what?!" and our suit was like; "oh, I mean, I MSN searched it..."
I use google as a verb on the daily. (yo). - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+27Google's name will go the way of Xerox, kleenex... in all honesty Google is going to make money no matter what. By becoming a verb it will only help get their name out to the general public even more than it is now.
- optikschmoptik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+24If you read the three examples posted in the blog, it looks to me like 95% of everyday usage is a-ok with them and their legal department. Most people use google as a verb only when they actually mean Google, the company (which best fits under example number 2). I've never heard anyone talk about 'googling' as use of another search engine, which, by the way, use different algorithms for collecting data and will give you a different set of results.
If you'll accept my 95% estimate, I would guess that the other 5% of 'improper' usage (according to Google legal) is based on someone not having correct information. E.g. they forget what search engine they actually used, they think Google is the only search engine online, or think it's the 'official' online search engine (for people not very familiar with the internet; politicians), or misquote someone else who did a search without Google.
I know Google have to protect their trademark, but they don't have much to worry about for now. The difference between 'googling' and 'searching online' is obvious, unlike the difference between 'xeroxing' and, say, 'lexmarking,' which is a bit more subtle. - mmurch03, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25I googled digg for some advice about googling.
- petermoffat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17I hope pairanoyd eats ***** and dies.
I get that he was being half-serious, but come on, at least have a chuckle that he has the balls to do it.
Also, the Google guys are successful. You are jealous. Deal with it. Preferably somewhere else. - qpid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15well it is important because if they do not protect it, one day you may see "Microsoft Google" or "Yahoo! Google"
Band-aid is close to falling into that cater gory but if you look at non Band-Aid brands they label themselves as adhesive bandages. - ABadInAlbany, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14only, Xerox is still trademarked by Xerox ... yes, it got abused for a long time, but competitors were never able to, and still can't, label their xerographic process-based copy machines "Xerox machines." sure, the office twits, ditzes and mitzes, and people from the 70s, may call every copier a "Xerox" machine, but Kyocera doesn't sell "Xerox" machines, they sell "copiers." Nor, for that matter, do Kleenex competitors sell "Kleenex," they sell "tissues."
- mikesherov, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11Dear Google,
Who the ***** cares?
Sincerely,
Me - Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9In a related situation, I find myself using the generic term "mapquest," even though I haven't used the mapquest.com site in a couple of years.
- mojotek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I disagree with you, GSocling. I've heard a number of people in everyday use refer to the use of ANY search engine as "googling". It's just bad information on their part. If you work in IT, of course 99.5% of the people you here refer to Google are actually referring to the company or the specific search engine. But get out of IT and into the "general public", and you'll realize Google actually has something to worry about. If they don't address the issue now, it will become something they can't overcome in the not-to-distant future.
- CamoChris, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I see their point, you can't really 'google' on another search engine, but I don't think Yahoo or Microsoft are going to start using buttons that say 'google' instead of 'search', if only because they wouldn't want their biggest competitors name on their site.
- IQ70, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9The question is why should I (or anyone) for that matter care whether Google loses the trademark or not.
I use bandaid for wounds, I use windex on glass, I use the escalator everyday, aspirin for a headache, cellophane to stick paper, granola bars in the morning and have never ever felt guilty for doing that.
Similarly, I will not feel guilty for googling for my friends email address. - rhesuspieces00, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I can understand why google would be concerned over the copyright on their name, but I think SPAM is in a much worse situation.
from http://www.spam.com/ci/ci_in.htm
"Ultimately, we are trying to avoid the day when the consuming public asks, 'Why would Hormel Foods name its product after junk e-mail?'" - krewemaynard, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7It's not tongue-in-cheek; it's a candy coated threat. Any time there's unhappy lawyers involved, beware.
- Goombellaofgoom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6And the same goes for Frisbees. Few consumers make the distinction anymore, but any company besides Wham-o has to call their product a "flying disc."
- YourTechSupport, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I googled YOUR MOM!
.... and got 5,290,000 results. - noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I used to use Google, but I changed back to Yahoo because I missed the "spying on your neighbours/teenage daughter's friends/hot chicks that are inexplicably lying about your house" vibe that the X10 popup ads provided.
- daedal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I gawk awkwardly at anyone who doesn't understand when I tell them to "Google it". Guess I must be bad. Very bad.
- usherzx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Microsoft and Yahoo just aren't as cool to say as 'Google'
you can't say MSN Search'ed or Yahoo Search'ed without someone looking at you like 'wtf?' - jaqian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Here in Ireland we don't use Xerox we use Photocopy its probably the same in England but not sure.
The reason we don't use it is that Xerox started sueing ppl who used their name without their permission. It changed from Xerox to Photocopy pretty fast. - chris9902, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8will Google replace the word Search? no is the answer.
maybe online but not in real life. - LacY, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I don't know--sometimes I say "I'll Google it," when really I mean "I'll Wikipedia it" or "I'll YouTube it." Google just sounds better, even if I'm searching Wikipedia.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Tramapoline! Trampopoline!
- DiggLurker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@pairanoyd
Hi Steve, nice to see you here on digg. How's that plan to f**king kill Google working out for you? Have they got you a new chair yet? - Lumiras, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I don't think I have ever used the term "Google" to refer to a search on a different search engine such as Yahoo, nor have I ever heard somebody use it like that.
I'm pretty sure Google has a good hold on their trademark for the time being - ByteGuerilla, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Interesting that Google would get worked up about people using it to mean 'search' and not 'search on Google.com'. I have noticed myself saying things like "I can't remember the link, but it's a funny vid... just YouTube for it." I think the majority of the Internet will find that if they Google deep within their hearts, they don't care.
I'm waiting for the Star Wars remaster in ten years, in which, not only does Han shoot first, but Luke is told to Google his feelings. - noGoodNamesLeft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3That's also the case throughout the UK, but not for the reason you gave. I heard that this was simply because most of the early photocopiers in the UK (when they first got popular) were made by other companies- mainly Japanese ones IIRC.
I suspect that this is also the reason for the situation in Ireland; the UK and Irish markets aren't that different from a worldwide point-of-view. Whilst it's possible to prevent trademark genericide by legal means, I think that practically, it's impossible to stop people using the term that way in everyday usage.
For example, Xerox avoided genericide in the US, but it's still in everyday use. "Hoover" (from the company name) is a common term for a vacuum cleaner of *any* brand in the UK; Hoover still have their trademark, but they can't do **** about everyday speech.
Ditto Sellotape (mirroring the Scotch Tape situation in the U.S. I believe) and Tipp-Ex... - ricepudd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Anyway I'm just off to do some Yahoodling? Living? Altavistering? A9ing? on Google.
Do you think Microsoft would get upset if someone said that they 'Lived' on Google? - DooDah, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4lol, that is the best point i have seen, for example: does the Gmail spam filter really remove spam? o_0....no
so google's lawyers whats your stance on this? - crawfishsoul, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The full Google Permissions list:
http://www.google.com/permissions/guidelines.html - TheLlamaIs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Oh, sorry, did I offend someone by saying the American President is an idiot?
How about mentally challanged? More fitting? - mitchki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I know it seems silly to the general public, but this is the way a trademark works. If you don't protect it from inaccurate use, it goes away and becomes part of the general language. (If you remember a few years ago, Coca-Cola went on a crusade to prevent restaurants from saying they had "coke" when what they were serving was Pepsi or another cola.)
I have heard radio announcers talk about hiring managers and prospective dates "googling" people without making it clear that it was the Google search engine they were using to search and this is exactly the kind of reference (especially on public airwaves) which could lead to Google losing its trademark.
Of course it wouldn't be a problem for most of the general public if Google was no longer a trademark, but could hurt Google as a business and so it is the job of the company's lawyers to prevent that from happening. - daimposter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1LOTS of common people say 'google' for searching on any site, even if it's not google.com. It's like kleenex..i still hear people saying that even if the brand isn't kleenex they bought.
i myself hate when people use 'google' when they search on another website. just annoying to me a bit. - mastertop, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I googled on av.com mouahahahhaahah
- n8ward, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I'd have to agree with most. Google should take it as a compliment! If I googled something, I did it using Google.com. Just like if I fedexed something, I sent via FedEx. I can't fedex something through the USPS.
- GSocling, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@mojotek : that is interesting. I personally have never heard the term being used in reference to searching a competing web site. One or two people I know use Yahoo or MSN, but I've never heard them use googling.
I guess perhaps I just assume that if someone searched on the internet, and they say they googled, of course they used google?
I guess I agree that I would be critical of someone using the term and not being specific as to what search engine they are using. Of course, I think the only person I know who would pull something like that would be my wifes mom, just because she's never used the internet before herself but knows just a hair about it.
Google's trademark destroyed by people who don't know what they are talking about, their trademark ruined by people who aren't even searching the internet? - shockingbird, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Same thing occured with Rollerblade. The company would rather you call it "in-line skating".
- lintmonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1...and they shall spew forth flames?
- qwertydvorak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"What do zippers, baby oil, brassieres and trampolines have in common?"
i don't know, but it sure sounds like a good time.... - Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hormel doesn't have a problem with anyone using the word "spam" to describe unsolicited junk email. They do have a problem with people using the word "SPAM" (in caps), which is their trademark name for the potted meat product. They also have a problem with the use of images of SPAM to talk about spam.
All they want to do is make sure there is a clear distinction between their (in)famous product, and the colloquial use of the word "spam," and without being dicks about it, I think.
So Googles' lawyers' stance would be, "We're operating within the guidlelines as set forth by Hormel Foods, trademark holder of "SPAM." - ivassilis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think that there will always be 2 opinions on the subject- one for the lawyers and one for the rest of the people :)
Yes, a lot of companies have seen their brands making it to everyday use but I can't think of one that was destroyed of this. On the contrary, most of them are leaders in their field and enjoy huge fame- no matter how many clones have developed.
Maybe google eventually will mean "searching online" but not using the Google search engine. Currently there is no one word for searching online, so google can be that.
At least, this way we can give Google lawyers a strong opponent- Linguists ;) - MrSidnet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1mildly amusing, but LAME LAME LAME! digg has some really annoying articles sometimes. Also, the spell check doesn't even like the word digg.
- CarzorStelatis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So anyone who didn' t know about the potential transformation of the trademark 'Google' into the verb 'to google' (which would destroy the latter), Google has now encouraged you to use the verb. And their trademark lawyers told them this was a good idea why?
- GiggleStick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Except that everytime I look at my spam folder, google offers recipes that use SPAM in the little newsclip thing at the top. So clearly, they are making some type of equivalence.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1http://www.duggmirror.com
- IQ70, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1You mean how the ducttape/realskin bandaids by Nexxcare are much superior?
- lbytesxk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1it's trendy to use google as a verb, it's everywhere, office, films, tv shows etc.
Which is why I yahoo. ***** being trendy, I will go the opposite of hip even if it makes less sense, bunch of sheep -
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