Google is trying to stop people from using its name as a generic verb in phrases it says are potentially damaging to the brand.
This comes after 'google` was introduced as a verb in the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster`s Collegiate Dictionary.
"We think it`s important to make the distinction between using the word `google` to describe using Google to search the Internet and using the word `google` to generally describe searching the Internet. It has some serious trademark issues," said a Google spokesman in a handwritten letter to the Washington Post.
Both dictionaries use "google" as a verb, meaning to use the Google search engine to obtain information.
Google has provided a list of appropriate and inappropriate uses of its name:
Appropriate: He ego-surfs on the Google search engine to see if he`s listed in the results.
Inappropriate: He googles himself.
Appropriate: I ran a Google search to check out that guy from the party.
Inappropriate: I googled that hottie.
Good publicity
Marketing expert Chris Moerdyk comments: "I don`t believe it is at all damaging to the Google brand that it has been named a verb in the Oxford Dictionary. Having your name in the Oxford Dictionary in any shape or form actually solidifies the brand.
"Quite honestly, the publicity surrounding this issue has increased Google`s brand awareness - all of which seems to suggest that the adage of all publicity being good publicity actually works in terms of brand awareness."
However, Shamin Raghunandan, a lawyer from Spoor & Fisher, explains: "Trademark owners should educate consumers and distributors of the proper trademark use to ensure that use of their trademarks in a generic manner is avoided.
"If a trademark is used in a sense which gives it a generic meaning, due to its widespread popular usage and/or public acceptance, then the rights vested in that trademark can be eroded or lost altogether, making its effective enforcement difficult."
Raghunandan points out that using a trademark as a common noun or a verb is incorrect as the trademark may then become a common or descriptive name for a product or service.
A trademark, she adds, should be used adjectivally qualifying the generic description of the products or services. For example, one does not google the Internet, instead, one uses Google to search the Internet. Also, one does not xerox documents, but rather, one uses a Xerox machine to photocopy documents, she explains.
Adams and Adams, the firm representing Google in SA, was unable to comment on whether Google is planning any legal action in SA.
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