EU to ban Powerful Vacuum Cleaners

[jon0844]

'in due course'? I would argue that it already is the accepted term for doing a search!

Yes, but has it become known as a generic term? If so, that would then enable other companies to use the term 'To Google' when referring to a search on their own service.

And that's the risk when a company loses control of its trademark.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Yes, but has it become known as a generic term? If so, that would then enable other companies to use the term 'To Google' when referring to a search on their own service.

And that's the risk when a company loses control of its trademark.

Adobe have very strict guidelines on this in an attempt to stop "photoshopping" becoming a generic term for image manipulation. It doesn't have seemed to have worked though.

 

[jon0844]

Nope.

I think things like Google and Photoshop are good examples of where it will be near impossible to stop them becoming generic terms.

I'm not so sure TomTom needs to worry. The move from standalone devices to smartphone navigation software effectively means a lot of people no longer really know what TomTom is, as they'll use Google Maps or Apple Maps. You CAN get TomTom for mobile, but it's probably not as widely known or respected as it was 3-4 years ago.

 

[Yew]

Adobe have very strict guidelines on this in an attempt to stop "photoshopping" becoming a generic term for image manipulation. It doesn't have seemed to have worked though.

Indeed, I'd argue that the only place 'manipulated image' would be used in favour of 'photoshopped' would be in a formal occasion such as at court. I wonder if 'I'm just going to dyson the floor' will ever be a phrase as ubiquitous as 'hoover'

 

[DownSouth]

I'm not so sure TomTom needs to worry. The move from standalone devices to smartphone navigation software effectively means a lot of people no longer really know what TomTom is, as they'll use Google Maps or Apple Maps. You CAN get TomTom for mobile, but it's probably not as widely known or respected as it was 3-4 years ago.

The main reason that TomTom for mobile is not so widely known is that it is what powers Maps on iOS and Mac OSX devices. You don't need it anymore because you've already got it!

I don't think TomTom was ever quite that ubiquitous that it risked becoming a general term. When stand alone navigation devices were popular there was always a healthy level of competition between different brands, and also a healthy sector of the market provided by the de-branded OEM devices.


The owners of Hoover have done a better job of protecting their trademark with respect to vacuum cleaners in Australia, where it has never been used as a general term for all vacuum cleaners. There's no risk of them losing it when it next comes up for renewal in 2018.

I expect that Google will face some organised opposition when Google® comes up for renewal here in 2019, and they are more than likely to see the scope of the trademark scaled back a little.

 

[jon0844]

I know all about TeleAtlas mapping (which was always a poor second to Navteq maps that power Nokia, Garmin, CoPilot and many others) being behind other satnav systems and online mapping engines - but I'd still argue that neither Apple or Google (not even Nokia) has a turn-by-turn navigation system that's as powerful as the standalone apps, such as TomTom or CoPilot.

 

[table38]

Given that any noun can be verbed, is the definition of "to RailUK" something "to discuss minutiae until you lose the will to live"

(Only kidding, it's impossible for to me to say how much I enjoy some of the discussions on here...)

 

[Tibbs]

Even though there is no emoticon against that statement, I'm sure that genuine cancer sufferers will laugh like drains at your post.

Have you had cancer? I have, and I find that meme funny.

Please don't take offence on behalf of someone else, that's not your place as we can speak for ourselves. All of the funniest (and most vile) cancer jokes have been told to me by fellow survivors..

In in favour of this sort of legislation - energy is going to be an increasingly scarce resource and the further ahead of the curve we can get the better.

Humans are very creative creatures, just look at the bleating from the auto industry about emissions and safety standards, and lo and behold they've managed to achieve them.

 

[AM9]

Have you had cancer? I have, and I find that meme funny.

Please don't take offence on behalf of someone else, that's not your place as we can speak for ourselves. All of the funniest (and most vile) cancer jokes have been told to me by fellow survivors..

That's your choice, I was just expressing my opinion which is my choice. Neither you nor I speak for all cancer sufferers nor all of those who haven't had any contact with it. So my statement stands as you have just confirmed that you laughed, maybe not like a drain.