# Who knew unobtanium was real... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377 "2012-10-11T01:50:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/1 "2012-10-11T01:50:18Z")
Apparently Oakley has a source for [unobtanium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium) - they have frames with it as a [component](http://www.oakley.com/products/7066/26796) … > [@](#): > > The lightweight yet insanely durable frame is made of O Matter™ and shaped with surge ports to maintain a cooling flow of air. Interchangeable nose pads let you achieve a comfortable, customizable fit, and the earsocks are made of the same sport-optimized Unobtainium® to increase grip when you sweat. You won’t feel any uneven pressure points with this frame because its Three-Point Fit holds the frame comfortably in place while keeping the lens in precise optical alignment. 😕:dubious::smack::p:p:p:p:p ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/2 "2012-10-11T11:13:05Z")
Is that Pandorian or Terrestrial Unobtanium? 😉 Si ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/3 "2012-10-11T11:34:26Z")
They don’t just have a source of it, they trademarked the whole damn thing over [30 years ago](http://www.logosdatabase.com/logo/unobtainium_73310993). ---
**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:** [October 11, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/4 "2012-10-11T11:40:09Z")
Clearly these are the shades of choice if you’re planning to visit the Earth’s core. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/5 "2012-10-11T12:05:30Z")
It would be _really_ funny if those were permanently on backorder. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/6 "2012-10-11T18:04:00Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > They don’t just have a source of it, they trademarked the whole damn thing over [30 years ago](http://www.logosdatabase.com/logo/unobtainium_73310993). Obviously someone over there has a wicked sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/7 "2012-10-11T18:10:15Z")
::Raises Hand:: I didn’t what OP was going to be about, but I was going to mention Oakleys when I saw the thread title. I stumbled upon that _years_ ago when I was looking for some new sunglasses. I remember thinking it was pretty douchey of them to use that term. > [@aruvqan](#): > > Obviously someone over there has a wicked sense of humor. OTOH, if they TM’d that word before it was a semi-pop-culture word (in certain cultures I suppose), then it’s their’s and they should be able to do whatever they want with it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/8 "2012-10-11T18:15:58Z")
This is GREAT! It means we don’t have to tear up that goddam tree, and we can let the SmurfKittyPrincesses live in their floating jungle undisturbed. Well, except the land would be nice, even if you had to wear a breather. Earth’s kinda crowded and dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/9 "2012-10-11T18:23:04Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > OTOH, if they TM’d that word before it was a semi-pop-culture word (in certain cultures I suppose), then it’s their’s and they should be able to do whatever they want with it. Trademarks are a defend it or lose it proposition, unless they have been taking people to court for using unobtanium without authorisation, there’s a chance that their trademark is no longer valid. That’s why Google really doesn’t want google to become a verb for searching, and the Kleenex people don’t want kleenex to become the generic name for paper tissues. Adobe might run into some problems, photoshop is close to becoming the standard verb for photo editing. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-unobtanium-was-real/637377/10 "2012-10-11T18:42:41Z")
> [@Szlater](#): > > Trademarks are a defend it or lose it proposition, unless they have been taking people to court for using unobtanium without authorisation, there’s a chance that their trademark is no longer valid. That’s why Google really doesn’t want google to become a verb for searching, and the Kleenex people don’t want kleenex to become the generic name for paper tissues. Adobe might run into some problems, photoshop is close to becoming the standard verb for photo editing. I think what I meant to say was if they ‘invented’ that word.