4 ms·
Yes, proper nouns are capitalized. And of course it's much worse for a company's published works to not respect branding-- a trademark only exists if it is act
by sbierwagen 1y ago
Yes, proper nouns are capitalized.
And of course it's much worse for a company's published works to not respect branding-- a trademark only exists if it is actively defended. Official marketing material by a company has been used as legal evidence that their trademark has been genericized:
>In one example, the Otis Elevator Company's trademark of the word "escalator" was cancelled following a petition from Toledo-based Haughton Elevator Company. In rejecting an appeal from Otis, an examiner from the United States Patent and Trademark Office cited the company's own use of the term "escalator" alongside the generic term "elevator" in multiple advertisements without any trademark significance.[8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_trademark https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_trademark
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- lupire 1y agoUsing a trademark as a noun is automatically genericizing. Capitalization of a noun is irrelevant to trademark. Even Apple corporation says that in their trademark guidance page, despite constantly breaking their own rule, when they call through iPhone phones "iPhone". But Apple, like founder Steve Jobs, believes the rules don't apply to them. https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/trademark/appletmlist.html https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/trademark/...
- eastbound 1y agoThat explains why Steve Jobs never said “buy an iPhone” or “buy the iPhone” but “buy iPhone” (They always use it without “the” or “a”, like “buying a brand”).
- lxgr 1y agoIs that true? If so, what else should Apple call the iPhone in their marketing materials? I always thought the actual problem of genericization would be calling any smartphone an iPhone.
- lxgr 1y agoSure, but software that autocompletes/rewords users' emails and text messages is not marketing material. Otherwise, why stop there? Why not have the macOS keyboard driver or Safari prevent me from typing "Iphone"? Why not have iOS edit my voice if I call their Bluetooth headphones "earbuds pro" in a phone call?
- socalgal2 1y agoSounds like you found your next promotion at Apple. They can change anything. "I like Pepsi" -> "I like Coke" -> "I recommend Company A" -> "I recommend Company B". etc... "I'm voting for Candidate C" -> "I'm voting for Candidate D" You can market it is helping people with strong accents to be able make calls and be less likely to be misunderstood. It just happens to "fix" your grammar as well.
- kube-system 1y agoBecause in regards to the rights to a trademark, what is critical is the use of the word in trade -- not just "marketing material" nor your phone calls to your friends.
- lxgr 1y agoSo if I write a business email to my colleague, if Apple doesn't autocorrect "Iphone" to "iPhone" in it, they risk losing the trademark?
- kube-system 1y agoYour emails aren't very relevant. But the way Apple's represents their product is.