google verb: don't label as trademark

[Wendalyn Nichols]

Just to add a note to this thread (I've been unable to go online for about
ten days due to complications from what ought to have been a
straightforward move within NYC):
I dealt with many trademark lawyers' letters while I was the editorial
director at RH Reference, and I can say without any question that the noun
'Google' can be trademarked, but the verb 'google' cannot. It muddies the
waters to label the verb as a trademark, so Paul, if you've labeled the
verb, I'd remove the label. If you post it lowercase but trademarked, they
can use that to argue with others whom they want to bully into allowing
them to attempt to trademark a verb.  Label the noun only. Attributive uses
of the capitalized noun are part of a trademark but can be left implied,
rather than explicit.

Wendalyn Nichols

At 12:56 PM 2/25/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Thank you, Tom, and everyone else who responded. I've added the trademark
>notice to the entry and I guess I'll just see what happens from here.
>
>Paul
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Thomas M. Paikeday" <t.paikeday at SYMPATICO.CA>
>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 10:57 AM
>Subject: Re: Google trademark concerns
>
>
> > Paul,
> >
> > As a practising lexicographer who has dealt with this problem since the
> > Sixties (I gave a paper on the subject to ADS in the mid-Seventies), I
>agree
> > entirely with your disposition of the matter. Just acknowledge Google is a
> > trademark and continue to list and use "google" generically. Lawyers have
>to
> > do what they are paid to do!
> >
> > TOM PAIKEDAY
> > www.paikeday.net