- By Jim Evans
- Entertainment
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SMART TALK by Dr. Thorn Schwa
KLEENEX: Makem, Payette & Hurt, attorneys for the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, have warned us not to use brand names as generic terms. Doing so is illegal use of a registered trademark.
Instead of Kleenex®, say tissue. U-Haul® is just one rental company. In the UK, Hoover® is both the generic noun and verb. You'd think the company would like that, but it could get you sued.
Other names are so brilliant that they threaten to escape into general use faster than their parent companies can pursue them through the courts. A Bandaid® isn't just any bandage, and Cheesebrough Ponds would like you to stop referring to generic cotton swabs as Q-Tips®, thank you very much.
And much to 3M Corporation's chagrin, Scotch® tape seems to mean any old cellophane or clear tape.
But we try to be careful, and so should you.
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