List of generic and genericized trademarks

For a list of generic and genericized trademarks in languages other than English, see List of non-English generic and genericized trademarks.

List of former trademarks that have become generic terms

Main article: Genericized trademark

The following list contains marks which were originally legally protected trademarks, but which have subsequently lost legal protection as trademarks by becoming the common name of the relevant product or service, as used both by the consuming public and commercial competitors. Some marks retain trademark protection in certain countries despite being declared generic in others.

• Aspirin - Still a Bayer trademark name for acetylsalicylic acid in about 80 countries, including Canada and many countries in Europe, but declared generic in the U.S.
• Cellophane – Originally a trademark of DuPont
• Dry ice – Trademarked by the Dry Ice Corporation of America in 1925
• Escalator – Originally a trademark of Otis Elevator Company
• Heroin – Trademarked by Friedrich Bayer & Co in 1898
• Kerosene – First used around 1852
• Lanolin – Trademarked as the term for a preparation of sheep fat and water

• Linoleum – Floor covering
• Mimeograph – Originally trademarked by Albert Dick
• Pilates exercise system – United States trademark formally canceled by court in 2000
• Thermos - Originally a Thermos GmbH trademark name for a vacuum flask; declared generic in the U.S. in 1963
• Touch-tone – Dual tone multi-frequency telephone signaling; AT&T states "formerly a trademark of AT&T"
• Trampoline – Originally trademarked by George Nissen for the generic "rebound tumbler"
• Videotape - Originally trademarked by Ampex Corporation, an early manufacturer of audio and video tape recorders.
• Webster's Dictionary – The publishers with the strongest link to the original are Merriam-Webster, but they have a trademark only on "Merriam-Webster", and other dictionaries are legally published as "Webster's Dictionary"
• Yo-Yo – Still a Papa's Toy Co. Ltd. trademark name for a spinning toy in Canada, but declared generic in the U.S. in 1965
• Zipper – Originally a trademark of B.F. Goodrich

List of protected trademarks frequently used as generic terms

Marks in this list are still legally protected as trademarks, but are sometimes used by consumers in a generic sense. Unlike the names in the list above, these names are still widely known by the public as brand names, and are not used by competitors. Scholars disagree as to whether the use of a recognized trademark name for similar products can truly be called "generic", or if it is instead a form of synechdoche. The previous list contains trademarks that have lost their legal status in some countries, while the following list contains marks which have been registered as trademarks, continue in use, and are actively enforced by their trademark owners. Writing guides such as the AP Stylebook advise writers to "use a generic equivalent unless the trademark is essential to the story."

Trademark or Brand Name	Generic name	Trademark owner	Notes
Airfix	Plastic injection-moulded scale model kits	Hornby Railways	Still used widely in the UK to describe a scale model as it was the dominant brand at that time. This news article is one example of the brand being treated a a generic term.
Band-Aid	Adhesive bandage	Johnson & Johnson	Often used as though generic by consumers in the U.S., though still legally trademarked.
Biro	Ballpoint pen	Société Bic	Used generically in colloquial British and Australian English, particular for cheaper disposable pens, but remains a registered trademark.
Clorox	Bleach	Clorox Company
ChapStick	Lip balm	Wyeth Consumer Healthcare
Coke	Cola, soft drink, pop, soda	The Coca-Cola Company	Popularly used in the Southern United States to refer to any soft drink; still a trademark. Also used for rival brands of cola (e.g., Pepsi) elsewhere, such as in the UK.
Colt	revolver	Colt's Manufacturing Company	Used to describe any revolvers during the 19th century, regardless of brand.
Crock-Pot	slow cooker	Rival Industries	"Crock pot" and "crockpot" are common synonyms used by cooks to describe any slow cooker.
Cuisinart	Food processor	Conair	Sometimes used in the U.S. to refer to any food processor, but still a trademark.
Discman	Portable CD player	Sony Corporation	As with "Walkman" (below), this was commonly used generically, but remained a legally recognized trademark.
Durex	adhesive tape (Australia)	3M	In Australia, used as a generic name for adhesive tape.
	condoms (UK)	SSL_International	In the UK, a brand of condom, which is often used generically.
Dumpster	waste receptacle	Dumpster brand
Elastoplast	Adhesive bandage	Elastoplast (Company)	Used in commonwealth countries as an all-encapsulating name for Adhesive Bandages.
Formica	Wood or plastic laminate	Formica Corporation, part of Fletcher Building	Widely used for the generic product. An attempt to have the trademark quashed failed in 1977.
Google	As a verb, to use a web search engine	Google	Often used by users and in the media as if it were a generic verb "to search the Internet" in the U.S., but still a legally recognized trademark.
Hoover	Vacuum cleaner	The Hoover Company	Widely used as a noun and verb. De facto loss of trademark in the UK.
Jeep	Compact sport utility vehicle	Chrysler	Chrysler recently used "trademark awareness" advertisements to prevent the brand from becoming a generic noun or verb, including such statements as They invented ‘SUV’ because they can’t call them Jeep
Jet Ski	Stand-up personal watercraft	Kawasaki	Used universally to refer to any type of personal watercraft. This news article is one example of useage.
JumboTron	Large-screen television	Sony Corporation	Still used, although Sony exited the market for this product in 2001.
Kleenex	Facial tissue	Kimberly-Clark	Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the U.S., but still a legally recognized trademark.
Matchbox	Die cast toy	Mattel	Used at its height of popularity to describe die cast cars.
Netbook	Class of portable computers	Psion	Registered as a trademark by for the Psion Netbook product, but now is being challenged for cancellation as generic by Dell, who claims that netbook refers to an entire class of portable computers.
NOS (Nitrous Oxide Systems)	Nitrous	Holley Performance Products	Widely used generically to describe nitrous systems used in motor vehicles. One example of this was when it was used prominently in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious.
Onesies	Infant bodysuit	Gerber Products Company	Often used by consumers in the U.S. as if it were generic; "Onesies" still a legally trademarked brand name of Gerber, which objects to its usage in the singular form as "Onesie" or as a generic product name.
Photoshop	Photo manipulation	Adobe Systems	Commonly used as a verb to generically describe digital manipulation or compositing of photographs.
Polaroid	Instant film	Polaroid Corporation	Commonly used to refer instant photograph shot during model auditions.
Post-Its	Sticky notes	3M	Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the U.S., but still a legally recognized trademark.
Powerpoint	Presentations	Microsoft	Used to refer to "presentation graphics" or a "slideshow presentation" created on software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, OpenOffice Impress, Google Docs Presentations, etc.
Q-tips	Cotton swabs	Unilever	Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the U.S., but still a legally recognized trademark.
Rizla	Rolling paper	Imperial Tobacco	Often used to describe rolling papers which are used to contain rolled tobacco or marijuana.
Rollerblade	Inline skates	Nordica	Commonly used name by consumers in the U.S., but the name is still a trademark.
Saran Wrap	plastic wrap	S. C. Johnson & Son Asahi Kasei
Scalextric	Slot car	Hornby Railways	Used commonly in the United Kingdom to describe slot cars and the hobbies itself.
Scotch tape	Clear adhesive tape (US)	3M	Appears in dictionaries as both generic and trademarked. "Trademark Law" advises that proper usage is "Scotch brand cellophane tape" to combat "generic tendencies".
Sea-Doo	Sit-down personal watercraft	Bombardier Recreational Products	Used regionally in the U.S. (where the company holds 50.3% of the market share) to refer to any type of sit-down PWC. Usage is strongest in Canada, especially in Quebec, where the manufacturer is based.
Sellotape	Clear adhesive tape (UK)	The Sellotape Company, owned by Henkel Consumer Adhesives	Often used generically as a verb and noun. Appears in dictionaries as both generic and trademarked.
Sharpie	permanent marker	Sanford L.P., owned by Newell Rubbermaid	James Faulkner, Sanford's marketing manager has said "In America the Sharpie name is used as the generic for a permanent marker".
Stelvin closure	Screw cap	Rio Tinto Alcan	Often used generically.
Styrofoam	extruded polystyrene foam	Dow Chemical Company	In the United States, "styrofoam" is often used as a generic term for disposable foam cups, plates, coolers and packing material, although these are made from a different polystyrene product than true Styrofoam™ Brand Foam, which is made for thermal insulation and craft applications.
Super Hero	Superhero	DC comics Marvel Comics	The two-word version of the term is a trademark co-owned by DC Comics and Marvel Comics.
Targa top	Semi-convertible hard roof panel	Porsche	Although first used in the 1960s, trademark was not claimed until the 1970s, when its popularity grew; hence, the name is treated as a generic trademark by the general public and the motoring press. It is an Italian word for "shield" and was named after the Targa Florio road race in which the top made its debut in 1964.
Tarmac	Asphalt road surface.	Tarmac	Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the UK, but still a legally recognized trademark.
Taser	Electroshock weapon	Taser Systems Taser International	Acronym for a fictional weapon: Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle. Taser is a registered tradename, prompting a backformed verb "to tase" which means "to use a Taser on", although "to taser" is also commonly used.
Tippex	Correction fluid	Tipp-Ex	Taken in Europe (especially Germany, France, and The UK) as meaning white liquid applied with a brush used to hide mistakes written on typed with ink so they can be overwritten.
Tylenol	Paracetamol	McNeil Consumer Healthcare
Vaseline	Petroleum jelly, petrolatum	Unilever	Often used by consumers as if it were generic in the U.S., but still a legally recognized trademark.
Velcro	Hook-and-loop fastener	Velcro company	Used as generic, but still trademarked. Often used as a verb.
Walkman	Personal stereo	Sony Corporation	Was commonly used generically, but still a legally recognized trademark.
Jet Ski	personal water craft	Yamaha Motor Company	Used universally to refer to any type of personal watercraft.
Windex	Hard surface cleaner	S. C. Johnson & Son
Xerox	Photocopier or to make a photocopy	Xerox	Xerox has used "trademark awareness" advertisements to prevent the brand from becoming a generic noun or verb, including such statements as "You can't make a Xerox."

References

• Ginsburg, Jane C.; Litman, Jessica; Kevlin, Mary L. (2001), Trademark and Unfair Competition Law (3rd ed.), New York, NY: Foundation Press{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)