this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2024
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[–] waterore@lemmy.world 79 points 9 months ago (4 children)

The Dumpster Brothers? Their last fucking name was Dumpster? Wild that that was just a common last name with no connection to trash for centuries

[–] z500@startrek.website 70 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Look again, it actually says Dempster

[–] quaff@lemmy.ca 41 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Both words are used, so I understand the confusion; also, sprinkled with a little misspelling:

Dumpster: The Dempster Brorthers, Inc.

EDIT: Just read the Dumpster Wikipedia page. The Dempster Brothers' had a truck called The Dempster Dumpmaster 😂

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Ormagord, Sorper Morio Brorthers

[–] satanmat@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

On cold nights, we’d gather together around the Dempster fire and discuss how bad things were, we’d share drinks and bond as the we burned the garbage to stay warm on those cold nights. No one could turn away for those Dempster fires as they were amazing to watch. Yep Everyone loved watching those Dempster fires

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[–] Lamedonyx@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Wait until you learn about Thomas Crapper, who made major improvements to the modern toilet.

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[–] Neato@ttrpg.network 11 points 9 months ago

It's kind of indicative that the courts have bent to corporations on not generciding names for nearly 60 years. How long have dumpsters been so ubiquitous that no one even knew it was a brand? Very Berenstain Bears situation.

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[–] Infynis@midwest.social 45 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Zoom was actually a word before 2011

[–] vorpuni@jlai.lu 21 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Not with that meaning but yes, poor terminology on the visual since it implies it was not.

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[–] fidodo@lemmy.world 14 points 9 months ago (5 children)

Trademarks are context sensitive, and zoom was not used as a term for video calls before that. It is interesting that that's the only one on the list that isn't also a made up word

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[–] mihnt@lemmy.world 39 points 9 months ago (8 children)

The Jeep one has kind of fallen out of normal use. Like, I wouldn't call a Land Rover or a Bronco a jeep.

[–] invertedspear@lemm.ee 15 points 9 months ago

If anything Jeep on this list is backwards. It was originally a generic term for that military style vehicle made by various manufacturers. Then it became its own thing as the Jeep brand. But then Jeep further broadened their offerings ( Cherokee, Patriot, compass, etc) and the Jeep became a wrangler. But when I say I drive a Jeep, everyone assumes specifically a wrangler.

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[–] Vespair@lemm.ee 37 points 9 months ago (9 children)

Who says "zoom" as a verb? People say "video chat" or, more realistically, "facetime" for all video chats.

[–] blind3rdeye@lemm.ee 17 points 9 months ago

I've heard a lot of people talk about "zoom meetings" when the meetings are actually held on google meet, or webx.

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[–] Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 35 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Has 'zoom' become a generic term for video calling/conferencing? For example are people saying "let's zoom later on Skype" ?

[–] accideath@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Might be a thing with zoomers

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[–] DrMango@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I hear FaceTime used more generically than Zoom (for mobile video chat)

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[–] fidodo@lemmy.world 31 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I had no idea that a lot of those were brand names

[–] Ultraviolet@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

That's why when someone says "they have to protect their IP otherwise they lose it", they're full of shit. The bar for losing a trademark is essentially that no one can be reasonably expected to know it was a trademark.

[–] OceanSoap@lemmy.ml 31 points 9 months ago

Super Hero is trade marked??? That one was surprising.

[–] son_named_bort@lemmy.world 27 points 9 months ago (11 children)
[–] hactar42@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Typical exchange in Texas:

Person A: Can I have a coke?

Person B: What kind?

Person A: Dr Pepper

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[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 27 points 9 months ago (9 children)

When was the last time you heard someone use the term 'Xerox?'

iirc, it's used as another word for clone in some 1980's science fiction.

[–] klemptor@startrek.website 22 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Arguably it's a bit dated but I don't think it's gone completely the way of the dinosaur.

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[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 24 points 9 months ago (5 children)

I've never heard Google, Uber or Zoom used unless it meant the specific company. "Google" became a verb, but I've never heard of someone saying they googled something on DuckDuckGo, for example.

[–] DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 9 months ago (5 children)

"Google it" means look it up on the Internet. My kids don't use Chrome, they use Google (probably call it that because it's the homepage of Chrome).

I've heard people say they're going to uber home. They sometimes use Lyft.

And I've definitely heard people say they were on a zoom call even when it was Microsoft Teams or Google ...what is the Google one called again? I don't remember anymore because people will say Google zoom call!!

[–] pizzazz@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Citing a comment I've recently seen, it's amazing how humanity managed to produce only one generation actually competent with computers.

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[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

I use it exactly like that all the time.

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[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 23 points 9 months ago (5 children)

Vaseline, Velcro, Mace and Styrofoam aren't generic? The fuck? I didn't even know those were trademarked names. Vaseline maybe, but the other three are common enough that I was sure they were generic.

[–] LemmyFeed@lemmy.world 24 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Petroleum jelly, hook and loop, pepper spray, and polystyrene.

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[–] atocci@kbin.social 22 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] Vent@lemm.ee 37 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I hope the world loses realtors

[–] CraigeryTheKid@lemm.ee 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's the only that surprised me, and it's still protected? How does that one work?

[–] candybrie@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago (3 children)

The National Association of Realtors is pretty consistent at insisting anyone not associated with them is a real estate agent not a Realtor.

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[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 18 points 9 months ago

Realtor?

That's weirder than Duncan's claim on Yo-Yo getting rejected on a technicality, ninety-nine years late.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 15 points 9 months ago (4 children)

In the UK: Hoover is what everyone called their vacuum cleaner. Can't stop for tea, I have the hoovering to do at home

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[–] JCreazy@midwest.social 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I try to avoid using all these names and instead use the more generic names.

[–] rigatti@lemmy.world 33 points 9 months ago (3 children)

What do you use for zipper, super hero, and trampoline?

[–] blakcod@lemmy.ca 19 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I too would like to know.

Fastener? Meta human? Bouncy springy thingy?

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[–] zeroblood@lemmy.ca 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

From Wikipedia: A zipper, zip, fly, or zip fastener, formerly known as a clasp locker

Trampoline: The generic term for the trademarked trampoline was a rebound tumbler

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

I believe of someone ever asked me to use my Rebound Tumbler I'd be forced to punch them in the face.

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[–] DahGangalang@infosec.pub 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

Wait, are these the dates when the brand that eventually was deemed a "common word" were first trade marked? I was reading this as the years they were deemed common words.

Cause 2011 is WAYYYY too early for zoom to be common. If anything, that would've been Skype on 2011. Similar thing for Tupperware and zipper.

Also, wtf was heroin's common name before being branded heroin? Lol, also, I can't help but imagine heroin got its name as some kind of "there's a hero in every needle" marketing campaign.

[–] groet@feddit.de 15 points 9 months ago (2 children)

year the brand name was first introduced.

It says so in the legend. Zoom has been a word for a long time but it now also means "participate in a (video) teleconference", which is a new meaning directly linked to the zoom software released in 2011. When a word became generic is usually very hard to pinpoint exactly (except for zoom that was 2020)

For heroin: I don't think there was heroin before the introduction of the heroin brand. Bayer literally invented the substance. (Wikipedia says it was invented 23 years earlier in Britain from morphine, but the inventer didn't do anything with it so it was reinvented later). It was also not a drug you take to get high, it was an over the counter cough suppressant; no needle or spoon or lighter involved. Wild times for sure...

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[–] kralk@lemm.ee 15 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Wait, who owns super hero?

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[–] deeferg@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

Losing yo-yo right before the centennial anniversary is pretty funny.

[–] KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

Roomba is a big one that is missing.

[–] fox2263@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)
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[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 11 points 9 months ago

Aspirin & Heroin: Bayer

lost rights to its trademarks as a result of WWI

Thanks Gavrilo Princip. Do you know how much potential revenue you erased from the Bayer balance sheet?

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (5 children)
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