50 Common Words You Use Every Day That Are Actually Trademarked Brand Names

Did you know that Band-Aid, Jacuzzi, Jet Ski, Memory Stick, Post-It, Super Glue, Taser, Vaseline, Velcro and Xerox are all legally protected trademarks? They might be used generically by consumers but cannot be used by their competitors. Here’s a list of marks that have been registered as trademarks and are actively enforced by their trademark owners.

Band-Aid

Trademark owner: Johnson & Johnson
Generic name: Adhesive bandage

Bubble wrap

Trademark owner: Sealed Air Corporation
Generic name: Inflated cushioning

Chapstick

Trademark owner: Wyeth Consumer Healthcare
Generic name: Lip balm

Dumpster

Trademark owner: Dempster Brothers, Inc.
Generic name: Front loader waste container

Fiberglass

Trademark owner: Owens Corning
Generic name: Glass wool

Frisbee

Trademark owner: Wham-O
Generic name: Flying disc

Google

Trademark owner: Google Inc.
Generic name: Internet search engine

Hula hoop

Trademark owner: Wham-O
Generic name: Toy hoop

Jacuzzi

Trademark owner: Jacuzzi
Generic name: Hot tub or whirlpool bath

Jeep

Trademark owner: Chrysler
Generic name: Compact sport utility vehicle

Jet Ski

Trademark owner: Kawasaki
Generic name: Stand-up personal watercraft

La-Z-Boy

Trademark owner: La-Z-Boy, Inc.
Generic name: Reclining chair/sofa

Lava lamp

Trademark owner: Mathmos
Generic name: Liquid motion lamp

Memory Stick

Trademark owner: Sony
Generic name: Flash memory storage device

NOS

Trademark owner: Holley Performance Products
Generic name: Nitrous

Photoshop

Trademark owner: Adobe Systems
Generic name: Photo manipulation

Ping Pong

Trademark owner: Parker Brothers
Generic name: Table tennis

Plasticine

Trademark owner: Flair Leisure Products plc
Generic name: Modelling clay

Polaroid

Trademark owner: Polaroid Corporation
Generic name: Instant camera

Popsicle

Trademark owner: Good Humor-Breyers
Generic name: Ice Pop; ice lolly (UK)

Post-it

Trademark owner: 3M
Generic name: Sticky note

PowerPoint

Trademark owner: Microsoft
Generic name: Slide show presentation program

Realtor

Trademark owner: National Association of Realtors
Generic name: Real estate agent

Rollerblade

Trademark owner: Nordica
Generic name: Inline skates

Scotch Tape

Trademark owner: 3M
Generic name: Clear adhesive tape (US)

Super Glue

Trademark owner: Super Glue Corporation
Generic name: Cyanoacrylate adhesive

Super Heroes

Trademark owner: DC Comics, Marvel Comics
Generic name: Superhero

Taser

Trademark owner: TASER International, Inc
Generic name: Electroshock weapon, stun gun

Teflon

Trademark owner: DuPont
Generic name: Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)

Vaseline

Trademark owner: Unilever
Generic name: Petroleum jelly, petrolatum

Velcro

Trademark owner: Velcro company
Generic name: Hook-and-loop fastener

Walkman

Trademark owner: Sony Corporation
Generic name: Personal stereo

Xerox

Trademark owner: Xerox
Generic name: Photocopy

Ziploc

Trademark owner: S. C. Johnson & Son
Generic name: Zipper storage bag

Former trademarks that are now generic terms due to common use

Here’s a list of former trademarks that have now lost legal protection by becoming the common name of the relevant product or service, as determined in court. Some of these might still retain trademark protection in certain countries despite being generic in others.

Aspirin

Acetylsalicylic acid
Trademark owner: Bayer

Cat’s eye

Retroreflective road safety installation
Trademark owner: Reflecting Roadstuds Limited

Cellophane

Thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose
Trademark owner: Innovia Films (Europe) / DuPont (US)

Dry ice

Solid form of carbon dioxide
Trademark owner: Dry Ice Corporation of America

Escalator

Moving staircase
Trademark owner: Otis Elevator Company

Heroin

Diacetylmorphine
Trademark owner: Friedrich Bayer & Co

Kerosene

Combustible hydrocarbon liquid
Trademark owner: Abraham Gesner

Laundromat

Trademark owner: Westinghouse
Coin laundry shop

Sellotape

British brand of transparent, cellulose-based, pressure-sensitive adhesive tape
Owner: Henkel

Thermos

Trademark: Thermos GmbH
Vacuum flask

Trampoline

Trademark owner: Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company

Videotape

Trademark owner: Ampex Corporation

Former trademarks that are now generic terms due to reasons other than common use

Here’s a list of former trademarks that have now lost legal protection due to abandonment, non-renewal or improper issuance. Some of these might still retain trademark protection in certain countries despite being generic in others.

App

Trademark claimed by Apple, Inc.; cancelled.

App Store

Trademark claimed by Apple Inc. but later abandoned

Yo-yo

Trademark owner: Papa’s Toy Co. Ltd. (Canada)

Zipper

Trademark owner: B.F. Goodrich (for use in rubber boots)

Hope this post was of interest to you. How many trademarks (past or present) were you aware of? Did we miss any? Share this post and your views in the comments below.