# How many genericized trademarks do you currently use (read the OP) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2026, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692 "2026-10-09T10:24:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/1 "2026-10-09T10:24:43Z")
For this thread, I’m looking for genericized trademarks that you personaly currently use, and let’s define that as having used that within one calendar year from your post. So, it’s not just a list of genericized trademarks gotten from AI or **google**. Speaking of **google** , that’s the one I most commonly use, although I’m going to be at a disadvantage to most people, since normally I speak more Japanese during the day than English. When I took my kids to America in March, we went to a **trampoline** park. I don’t use the term **kleenex** any more. They are called tissue in Japanese, although they are also called “ **scottie** ” in Japanese as that brand name has become genericized. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/2 "2026-10-09T10:29:37Z")
I used to use a lot like coke, kleenex, comet, etc. but I can’t think of any I knowingly use anymore. (I didn’t know about trampoline- what is the generic name for that?) ETA: I just thought of one: I refer to any gelatin as jello. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/3 "2026-10-09T10:30:11Z")
_Zoom_ has become a generic term for a video call. ---
**Author:** ![Gryphea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@Gryphea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gryphea)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/4 "2026-10-09T10:30:40Z")
writing from the UK. Vacuum cleaners are are pretty much ubiquitously referred to as “Hoovers” after a brand which hasn’t been popular for years. This usage has expanded to achieve verb status – “can you hoover the house before your parents get here ?” ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/5 "2026-10-09T10:32:33Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > (I didn’t know about trampoline- what is the generic name for that?) It’s actually become the generic name now, so maybe I’ve violated my own OP. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/6 "2026-10-09T10:35:24Z")
In Japanese, mechanical pencils are called “sharp pens” because Sharp was the first company to make them. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/7 "2026-10-09T10:39:26Z")
Cheap pens are biros, whoever made them Jacuzzi would have been one, but I think they are hot tubs these days. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/8 "2026-10-09T10:40:46Z")
- Kleenex - Dumpster - App Store - Airfryer - Escalator - Dry Ice - Laundromat - Trampoline - Super Glue - Putt-Putt - Zipper - Google - Allen Wrench - Band-Aid - Bubble Wrap - ChapStick - Crock-Pot - EpiPen - Frisbee - Q-Tips - Scotch Tape - Tupperware - Vaseline - Velcro (It’s a long list but I did follow the directions in the OP) mmm ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/9 "2026-10-09T10:44:58Z")
I “google” things. Despite Bing being my default search engine. In fairness, I also often switch to Google for search when I’m not happy w Bing’s answers. So googling isn’t always a misnomer for my searches. I use “kleenex”. I do buy only that brand, but call the generic stuff by the same name. I’ve been trying to remember others that I use. Folks might find this list interesting; good bet there are some on there you didn’t know were trademarks. **[List of generic and genericized trademarks - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generic_and_genericized_trademarks)**. It overlaps a lot with @Mean_Mr.Mustard’s list, so I bet he got his starting from there. A side question not addressed by the OP is “Since when is it genericized?”. And where? e.g. Starting in 1897 Aspirin was a trademark for a salicylic acid preparation made by Bayer and only Bayer. The US trademark was invalidated as genericized in 1921. By maybe 1925 in the USA the word commonly meant a salicylic acid preparation made by anyone. Even later (1970s?) at least some people use it as a further generic for “any headache remedy”. Meanwhile in nearby Canada Bayer’s trademark of “Aspirin” is still in effect today and other brands of salicylic acid can’t legally use that word. There’s almost no USAian alive today who remembers when Aspirin ever was a trademark. ISTM genericizations older than the poster definitely should not count. ISTM things which are currently still under trademark, commonly known to still be under trademark, but which are nonetheless commonly used generically should count. Plus some allowance for things that got informally or formally genericized sometime during your life. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/10 "2026-10-09T11:39:59Z")
Haven’t heard “Frigidaire” for “refrigerator” in years. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/11 "2026-10-09T11:40:55Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > - Escalator That’s the one I thought would surprise everyone, but you beat me to it. What else would you call it, a “moving staircase”? Although it’s not a word you have to use very often. The verb “escalate” derived as a back formation from “escalator”. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/12 "2026-10-09T11:44:04Z")
I found this week that among twenty-somethings aspirin is some kind of historical artifact. The only pain relievers they know are Advil and Tylenol. Or in one person’s case, aspirin is something grandpa takes for heart disease. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/13 "2026-10-09T12:02:22Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I found this week that among twenty-somethings aspirin is some kind of historical artifact. The only pain relievers they know are Advil and Tylenol. I’m 52 and it’s a historical artifact to me, too. That stuff is horrible on your stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/14 "2026-10-09T12:15:02Z")
I use **google** more than I’m comfortable with in spite of the fact that I avoid using their services as much as possible. I didn’t know that **AirFryer** was a trademark, but I use that one. It’s almost obsolete these days but I still call a copy machine a **Xerox**. Most of the other ones that have been mentioned I don’t have much occasion to use, but I have never called a facial tissue a **Kleenex** , they’re just tissues, and I’ve never called a soda a **Coke**. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/15 "2026-10-09T12:32:56Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > > > I found this week that among twenty-somethings aspirin is some kind of historical artifact. The only pain relievers they know are Advil and Tylenol. > > I’m 52 and it’s a historical artifact to me, too. That stuff is horrible on your stomach. I find it works better than ibuprofen when i have a caffeine headache. (Ibuprofen is better for musculoskeletal aches and pains, in my experience.) I also pop one before a long plane ride, to reduce the rush of blood clots. I usually take it with food, and have never had stomach issues from aspirin. Also, i agree with @LSLGuy that “aspirin” doesn’t count as a trademark in the US. All the brands use that word, and have all my life. I didn’t realize all the items on @Mean_Mr.Mustard 's list were trade marks. Escalator? Dumpster? Air fryer? But many of those i only use when taking about that brand, like chapstick and q-tip. Others i use as if they were a generic, like Google and zoom. (Although i sometimes clarify in the next sentence that I’m using kagi search or google meet.) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/16 "2026-10-09T12:41:49Z")
“Otto-man? You’re living in a dumpster?" “Oh, man, I wish. ‘Dumpster’ brand trash bins are top-of-the-line. This is just a Trash-Co waste disposal unit." ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/17 "2026-10-09T13:33:50Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Haven’t heard “Frigidaire” for “refrigerator” in years. My late in-laws called the refrigerator a Frigidaire. That always made my brain chuckle. Just thought of another: Port-a-Jon. Possibly Port-a-Potty as well (?) mmm ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/18 "2026-10-09T13:39:05Z")
My wife and I purchase Kirkland-brand acetaminophen capsules from Costco; of course, we call them Tylenol. ---
**Author:** ![Stana\_Claus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stana_claus/32/13874_2.png) [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/19 "2026-10-09T14:50:58Z")
I’m from the South. We drink cokes. The followup question is then “what kind of coke would you like?” My medicine cabinet & first aid kits are rife with Band-aids, Advil, Tylenol, Neosporin, Ace bandages, and Listerine, regardless of the actual name on the label. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692/20 "2026-10-09T15:26:37Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I find it works better than ibuprofen when i have a caffeine headache. (Ibuprofen is better for musculoskeletal aches and pains, in my experience.) I also pop one before a long plane ride, to reduce the rush of blood clots. I usually take it with food, and have never had stomach issues from aspirin. I live in a country that allows OTC metamizole, so between that, ibuprofen and paracetamol, we have all of our basic painkilling needs covered without aspirin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-genericized-trademarks-do-you-currently-use-read-the-op/1033692.md?page=2)