Google still a trademark

NO MATTER how often you invoke a certain internet search engine’s name when doing online research, Alphabet Inc still owns the brand.

That’s the upshot of a US federal appeals court’s decision on Tuesday rejecting the argument that Google has become so popular as a verb that it should lose its status as a protected trademark.

Genericide, as it’s known, is the curse of companies whose brands gain such strong currency in the marketplace that they morph into product categories.

Think of aspirin, escalator or yo-yo, but not coke.

Rebecca Ginsberg Rutkoff, a Google spokesperson, did not respond to a phone call seeking comment on the ruling. – Bloomberg