Antedating of "Motel"

[Ron butters]

How could a single word have been "copyrighted"? Were the IP laws different in 1925?

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 25, 2011, at 9:19 PM, "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU> wrote:

> motel (OED3 1925 Mar.)
>
> 1925 _L.A. Times_ 18 Jan. B7 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)  The word "Motel," which has been copyrighted, means motor hotels.
>
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org