Have you ever watched a television show set in the United States and heard characters refer to tissues as “Kleenex” or jelly as “Jell-O”? This phenomenon is known as “genericisation.” It occurs when a trademark becomes so popular in the market that its brand name is used to describe similar products or services, even those unrelated to the trademark owner.
Some words that have become generic trademarks include escalator, thermos and bubble wrap. Here are 10 more brand names that you might be surprised to learn are used as generic terms in Hong Kong and around the world.
Origin: It is British healthcare company Haleon’s trade name for tablets with paracetamol.
Used: To refer to painkilling medicine, especially paracetamol, in over 85 regions – including Hong Kong
Band-Aid
Origin: A Johnson & Johnson employee invented this adhesive bandage in 1920 for his wife, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking.
Used: Referring to any adhesive bandage in countries such as the US, Canada, Australia and India. This is similar to the term “plaster” used for the brand Elastoplast in the UK.
Post-it
Origin: A scientist at 3M, an American consumer goods company, discovered the unique adhesive for Post-its. Although the patent expired in 1997, it remains a trademark of the company.
Used: To refer to any small piece of paper with a glue strip on its back, made for temporarily attaching notes to documents or other surfaces. It is also called a sticky note.
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Tipp-Ex or WiteOut
Origin: Tipp-Ex, German, and Wite-Out, originally American, both made their own versions of correction fluids and papers to use on dry ink – either for typewriting or photocopying errors.
Used: As a noun, referring to correction fluids and tapes that dry quickly and can be written over; as a verb, meaning to erase something.
Velcro
Origin: The “zipperless zipper” was invented in the mid-20th century by Swiss engineer George de Mestral. The patent expired in 1978, which prompted low-cost imitations from Taiwan, mainland China and South Korea to flood the market.
Used: For hook-and-loop fasteners, a device that allows two surfaces to be attached and detached with ease
Origin: An American multinational corporation and technology company that is one of the five Big Tech companies
Used: As a verb, it refers to searching for information on the World Wide Web, usually using a search engine like … Google
Sellotape or Scotch tape
Origin: Sellotape is a British brand of transparent, pressure-sensitive tape. Scotch is an American brand name used for pressure-sensitive tape developed by 3M – the makers behind Post-its.
Used: “Sellotape” is generally used for any brand of clear adhesive tape in the UK, while “Scotch tape” is used for sticky, but not necessarily transparent, tape in Canada and the US as the brand includes many backings and colours.
Rollerblade
Origin: This brand of in-line skates was founded in Minnesota, United States, and quickly dominated the North American market.
Used: For in-line skates, a type of roller skates. These are boots with wheels mounted to the bottom that allow you to travel on hard surfaces, similar to an ice skater on ice.
Jacuzzi
Origin: This American company was founded by seven Italian immigrant brothers from the Jacuzzi family in Berkeley, California.
Used: For hot tubs, whirlpool spas and whirlpool baths. Hot tubs already existed in the US, but Jacuzzi created the hydrotherapy water pumps that turned any regular bathtub into a spa.
Ziploc
Origin: An American brand of reusable, resealable sliding channel storage bags
Used: For a zip or slider storage bag – an inexpensive and flexible storage bag made of plastic, usually transparent
