[Air-l] "listserve"

[M. Deanya Lattimore]

The name for it that Wikipedia uses is "genericide."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark

There's also a list there of such trademarked names:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generic_and_genericized_trademarks

:-D.
Deanya



Ellis Godard wrote:
> Thanks to Alex, Paul, Dominic, and Terry for the posts which were
> interesting, but seemed to miss the point: I'm aware of ListServ and its
> history, but am interested in when and how the brand name was appropriated
> as a common noun. (Think Levi's, Band-Aid, Kleenex, Kodak, Coke, and Tivo.
> There's a word for this I learned in 7th grade, but can't remember - and
> neither can my 7th grade teacher, whom I re-ask every few years just in
> case. Whatever it is, it's an important word. Maybe I should sniglet a new
> one.)
> 
> Amelia's account is interesting - but I'm doubting that infolibs were the
> first to use "listserv" in the generic; I see "listservs" and "list serves"
> just as often as "listserves", so am not sure which appropriation came
> first; and I'm still interested in pinpointing blame on a more particular
> time and person.
> 
> -eg
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-
>> bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Amelia Kassel
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 8:59 AM
>> To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
>> Subject: Re: [Air-l] "listserve"
>>
>> I don't know the origin but I'll add my experience. At one time
>> (perhaps
>> still?) Listserv was a trademark.  To avoid using a trademark that
>> referred
>> to a specific product, information professionals and librarians began
>> using
>> the term listserve with an e to generically refer to electronic
>> discussion
>> groups of the "mailing" list (Listserv actual product name) variety.
>>
>> Amelia, MarketingBase
> 
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