Taken from:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46987905/ns/business-us_business/
Some products have become household names and the brand name has become the generic name.
Like Kleenex is the term for tissues; Xerox for photocopying; Band-aid for bandages - and now the term 'iPad' may be the new standard generic term for a tablet computer.
The article notes: "Companies trip over themselves to make their brands household names. But only a few brands become so engrained in the lexicon that they're synonymous with the products themselves. This so-called "genericization" can be both good and bad for companies like Apple, which must balance their desire for brand recognition with their disdain for brand deterioration.
"There's tension between legal departments concerned about 'genericide' and marketing departments concerned about sales," says Michael Atkins, a Seattle trademark attorney. "Marketing people want the brand name as widespread as possible and trademark lawyers worry ... the brand will lose all trademark significance."
So ... will the name iPad become the generic for tablet?
I can picture the following dialog.
A: "I just got a new iPad"
B: "What kind is it?"
A: "Its a Android iPad" (or "Its a Kindle iPad" or "Its an Apple iPad")
In the world of technology, time changes so quickly, I don't think this will happen - but ... hey ... I've been wrong in the past!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46987905/ns/business-us_business/
Some products have become household names and the brand name has become the generic name.
Like Kleenex is the term for tissues; Xerox for photocopying; Band-aid for bandages - and now the term 'iPad' may be the new standard generic term for a tablet computer.
The article notes: "Companies trip over themselves to make their brands household names. But only a few brands become so engrained in the lexicon that they're synonymous with the products themselves. This so-called "genericization" can be both good and bad for companies like Apple, which must balance their desire for brand recognition with their disdain for brand deterioration.
"There's tension between legal departments concerned about 'genericide' and marketing departments concerned about sales," says Michael Atkins, a Seattle trademark attorney. "Marketing people want the brand name as widespread as possible and trademark lawyers worry ... the brand will lose all trademark significance."
So ... will the name iPad become the generic for tablet?
I can picture the following dialog.
A: "I just got a new iPad"
B: "What kind is it?"
A: "Its a Android iPad" (or "Its a Kindle iPad" or "Its an Apple iPad")
In the world of technology, time changes so quickly, I don't think this will happen - but ... hey ... I've been wrong in the past!!!
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