18 August 2006 | Author: C. Philip

Google tired of googlers googling Google

We are now all used to people using phrases such as "Google it" in everyday conversation, right? The Google brand has dominated its market in such an overwhelming manner that a brand verb has been invented and is now accepted globally. Accepted, that is, by everyone other than Google themselves.

It was reported by Daily Tech in July that Google is concerned over the use of its trademarked name in reference to running a search online. In fact, Google is now looking to crackdown on this misuse of its trademark name, as they fear it could be damaging to the brand.

A representative for Google commented recently:

"We think it's important to make the distinction between using the word 'Google' to describe using Google to search the Internet and using the word 'google' to generally describe searching the Internet. It has some serious trademark issues."

Google's concerns are understandable, as misusing their brand in this way makes reference to their search services only and this could be detrimental to their future growth in other markets. Julie Coleman, an authority in linguistics from the University of Leicester has shown her support of Google's concerns:

"The prestige associated with a trademark is lost if people use it generically, so I do see Google's point. They also do lots more than just search, so maybe they're reluctant for their brand name to be restricted in this way."

However, turning this around is not going to be a simple task for Google. Reducing the spread of words drawn from the infinitive verb form 'to google' such as 'googled' and 'googling', which have become cemented in the vocabulary of web users, is practically an impossible task. It even has a presence in the most recognisable English dictionaries in the world and regularly shows up in scripts for movies and TV shows, particularly State Side. Google has essentially been rooted into the subconscious mind in the same way as the brands 'Hoover', 'Sellotape' and 'Jeep' have - and just like these examples, it's probably here to stay.

There may be no way to remove such words from normal, everyday, reference, not least because it would contravene such conventions as freedom of speech. What Google could do, however, is simply ensure that dictionaries properly note the origins of the word as coming from a trademarked name, and, indeed, the Oxford English Dictionary already does this.

If people in the future refer to dictionaries to find the true definition of the word Google then this approach should be a perfect fit for the search engine. However, they might be more likely to just Google it!

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