Antedating of "Motel" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Well, at some level, the LA Times author was wrong.  You can't copyright
words.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
Behalf Of
> Cohen, Gerald Leonard
> Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 10:15 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Antedating of "Motel"
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> -
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at MST.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Motel"
>
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> -
>
> I've been looking at the 2011 ads-l messages on "motel" (+ Sam
Clements'
> important 2006 posting) and have a residual question.
>
> There's a discrepancy in the ads-l messages. The Jan 18, 1925 L. A.
Times
> quote says that the word "motel" has been copyrighted (i.e.,
trademarked),
> while the Internet item on "motel" says that the word wasn't
trademarked. One
> of them has to be wrong.
> Sam Clements later (in reply to a private e-mail) informed me he finds
no
> evidence that "motel" was ever trademarked.
>
> But if so (i.e., if the 1925 L. A Times is correct), why wasn't the
name
> protected)? Why could other motels open with "Motel" in the name?
>
> Would anyone perhaps have a possible explanation?
>
> Gerald Cohen
> P.S. Here's the Jan. 18, 1925 L.A. Times citation:
> 1925 L.A. Times 18 Jan. B7 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) The word
"Motel,"
> which has been copyrighted, means motor hotels.
>
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Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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