It's called hook and loop tape...

[notalwaysright]

Make sure to use the proper term or else the Velcro people will... Make a song about it.

Newsflash, THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN. We all know this, why don't they? People use the term iPad for all tablets. People say Kleenex when asking for a tissue, the list goes on, they even mention some in the song. Back to Velcro, when I was at the fabric store sometimes people would come up to me holding a pattern and say "this calls for "hook and loop tape" what is that?" and I'd tell them that it's Velcro. That's how pervasive the term Velcro is, they have absolutely no chance in getting people to stop this, none at all, I can't even believe the waste of money to make a song about it. In fact, trying to argue about trademark laws is silly, considering I'm not even sure I agree with the concept (in regards to a word) so it's not like I have strong feelings about it.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Velcro wants to make sure their trademark stays a trademark. Too much use of a trademark as a generic name can mean it eventually becomes the generic name and the trademark is lost.

TV ads used to (and maybe still do) refer to Sanka brand decaf coffee. And then there is the Scrabble brand word game.

We all know of a famous trademark that is no longer a trademark. Zipper used to be a trademark for a sliding fastener. But no more.

Here is a list of trademarks that became generic.

[EricKei]

Good ol' genericisation.

It's my understanding that some companies -- Xerox being one major example -- spend millions of dollars' worth of advertising money (usually in trade magazines) to beg people NOT to call all photocopiers/AIO units "Xerox machines." Averting the potential trademark loss is an obvious reason, though the stated reason is usually the (similarly reasonable) notion that they do not want other companies' products (which are inferred to be automatically inferior) thought of as being the same as Xerox units.

[Food Lady]

I don't like the trend but I'm inconsistent. I do always say Velcro but tissues are not Kleenex. It's hopeless.

[OneMoreTime]

Velcro wants to make sure their trademark stays a trademark. Too much use of a trademark as a generic name can mean it eventually becomes the generic name and the trademark is lost.

TV ads used to (and maybe still do) refer to Sanka brand decaf coffee. And then there is the Scrabble brand word game.

We all know of a famous trademark that is no longer a trademark. Zipper used to be a trademark for a sliding fastener. But no more.

Here is a list of trademarks that became generic.

Wow! That was interesting! i didn't know there were so many!

[mjr]

Wow! That was interesting! i didn't know there were so many!

The NFL is like that, too. That's why as the Super Bowl nears, you will hear businesses refer to the Super Bowl as "The Big Game" or something like that.

[Mr Hero]

TV Tropes - Brand Name Takeover

[EricKei]

mjr - I can elaborate on that, actually. The NFL (and the NCAA) are very VERY protective of their Trademarks -- as one should be. When I was at a small-town paper, they actually sent us notices a couple months in advance every year, explicitly saying what terminology we could and could not use when referring to these events, whether in articles or in ads. The gist was, unless we had explicit, written permission to do otherwise:

- No logos
- Can't say "Super Bowl" or "March Madness" -- tho having those words with something else in between was generally OK. They said to use alternatives such as "the championship game" or "the bowl game," etc.
- "The Big Game" may or may not have been acceptable.
- An ad with "We're throwing a super party for the bowl game" (meaning, a big sale), was fine -- "We're having a Super Bowl sale" was very much NOT allowed.
- Stuff like "the upcoming game between New Orleans and Atlanta" was acceptable.

[dalesys]

All I know about *it* is that my wallet screams when I open it.

[catcul]

The Consumerist has made compiled a list of trademarks that have become generic.

This thread reminded me of this scene in the movie "Austin Powers in Goldmember" about *not* Godzilla.

[Nunavut Pants]

... very VERY protective of their Trademarks -- as one should be.

Actually, it's "as one is legally required to be". Part of the legal standard for something being a trademark is that the owner "vigorously defends" it. Otherwise, the trademark is no more...

[WishfulSpirit]

My cat's name is Velcro so when I am talking about the sewing notion I use "hook and loop" so he doesn't get upset.

[EricKei]

NP - Granted. I was just veering towards the subtler side of that particular equation.

[dalesys]

My cat's name is Velcro...

Cheryl Wheeler wanted to take her cats for a ride in her new yard tractor's little trailer... "but that would require Velcro... little suits... just imagine: you could hang them on the wall... they'd be so angry..."