Language is an ever-evolving process with new and defunct words that come and go as culture changes over time. Business names have had an impressive impact on language, spawning new words that become common place names for items or actions that we use without always thinking about their origin. This timeline from Colorado Attorney LLC lets us visualize how a trademarked name became part of daily life. From Jell-O to Zoom, you’ll have the full picture of just how many words were originally a brand name. The timeline also shows whether these names are still protected by copyright law or whether brands have lost their trademark due to a process called genericization. For example, you’ll see that the word “dumpster” was trademarked for years but the company lost its trademark in 2015 after over 50 years of generic use.
Infographic by: llcattorney
