# No more "LEGOS" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2005, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488 "2005-09-07T07:26:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/41 "2005-09-08T14:49:51Z")
> [@Suburban Plankton](#): > > I can’t drink two Pepsis, or own two Fords, without jeopardizing the copyright? With a nitpick (it’s trademark law, not copyright law), I agree with \*\*Suburban Plankton{/b]. It’s not the s on the end that the Lego people need to worry about: it’s the generic use of the word “lego” to describe other building blocks that’s the worry. While I’d use “Lego”, not “Legos”, to describe a pile of Lego bricks, I don’t see that it endangers their trademark, any more than asking for “two Cokes” endangers Coca Cola’s (unless when you ask for “two cokes” you are actually asking for two carbonated beverages marketed by another firm – that’s the problem that “coke” has, and it’s not caused by the s on the end). ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/42 "2005-09-08T15:35:58Z")
The only reason the “S” in “Legos” matters is because it is easier to prove that it’s being used as a generic term - as a noun. Realizing that Wikipedia isn’t hard and fast as a cite, I’m confident in this entry on trademark genericization, as it matches everything I’ve learned on the matter: > [@](#): > > Trademark owners should not use their trademark as verbs or noun, implying the word is generic. Likewise, using the trademark as a plural or possessive (i.e. a noun) will imply the trademark is generic (unless the mark itself is possessive or plural, e.g., “Friendly’s” restaurants). If the trademark is associated with a new invention, the trademark owner should use a descriptive term for the product that can be distinguished from the trademark for the product. > **[Generic trademark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark)** > > A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or services, usually against the intentions of the trademark's owner. > A trademark is said to become genericized when it begins as a distinctive product identifier but changes in meaning to become generic. This typically happens when the products or services ... ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/43 "2005-09-08T22:09:51Z")
I say Lego, you say LegoS, let’s call the whole thing off. 🙂 btw - did someone refer to “Legos” as being almost a misspelt African capital? Well, no, Lagos is not the capital of Nigeria - Abuja is. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/44 "2005-09-08T22:42:42Z")
I have a feeling that the twitchiness of the Lego manufacturer is related to previous legal ups and downs; as I understand it (i.e. no cite) when the patents on the lego block designs expired (opening the way for other companies to make compatible systems), lego tried to register the _shape_ of the standard Lego blocks as a trademark; they failed, because the shape was primarily functional, or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/45 "2005-09-08T23:09:33Z")
> **[Star Wars™ | Themes | Official LEGO® Shop US](https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/star-wars)** > > Discover the exciting world of Star Wars™ with LEGO® Star Wars™ toys and play sets. Browse LEGO® figures and sets from all scenes of the hit saga here Watch this movie… Revenge of the Brick. Its pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/46 "2005-09-09T07:28:14Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Maybe they don’t care as much outside of America (where this is obviously an issue), Well, obviously they don’t care much outside of America, most people outside of America don’t call the blocks “legos”. They definitely do care though hence the direct request NOT to call the them “legos” on this website. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/47 "2005-09-09T13:08:51Z")
Well, all kinds of brand names have become generic words, despite the best efforts of the companies involved. In all seriousness, if a guy named Joe McDonald tries to open a restaurant called McDonald’s, he’s likely to face some legal issues, even though it’s his **own** name! And Coca-Cola has been fighting a losing battle over this for years. When I lived in New York,m “Coke” meant any cola drink, while here in Texas, “Coke” means **any** soft drink at all. Many a Southern comedian has related a conversation like this… Waitress: What’ll you have to drink? Customer: A Coke. Waitress: What kind? Customer: Dr. Pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488/48 "2005-09-09T13:18:07Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > I do love these threads though. I have had a _lot_ of… not so much ignorance fought, but prejudices removed about the superiority of Commonwealth English over the US variety. There are so many exceptions to so many rules that it becomes impossible to defend one side or the other. Same here. I once got really stupid and typed up a post about spelling conventions. You know, honor/honour, color/colour, saber/sabre, theater/theatre, etc. Why not spell them the way they’re pronounced? Then I realized that that would make me the kind of idiot who thinks English is a phonetic language, so I laughed at myself and backed away from it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-legos/320488.md?page=2)