If a mark is used improperly, it can end up as the generic name of the product or service. Products such as aspirin, escalator, trampoline and dry ice were originally trademarks which, because of improper use became the generic terms for those products. Understanding the proper usage for trademarked names can help avoid letters of complaint from the owners of trademarks concerned about the value of their works. Trademarks should not be made into a plural. Trademarks should not be used in the possessive form.
Trademarks are never verbs.
It is sometimes difficult to keep track of trademarked names, which now number over 4,000. To help you, we've listed a few of them here. The hotline is a free information service for the media.