"To Google" Is Proper, "To Googlestalk," or "To GoogleWhack" Is Considered Brand and Copyright Infringement

It appears that Google has gotten big enough, and its brand ubiquitous enough, to threaten the corporate trademark.

Kleenex, Jacuzzi, Xerox and Jell-O have all had to deal with it. There comes a time when a brand's ownership is threatened to be transfered from corporate trademark to public domain ownership.

Apparently, Google has recently sent legal letters to media organizations warning them of copyright infringement action if the internet search giant's name is not used correctly. Google is concerned that misuse of its name could result in a breach of copyright.

According to Brand Republic, the offending terms are: "Googlestalk, to track down a former acquaintance or lover by entering their name into the search engine; or Googlewhack, to find a unique phrase on the internet. The latter pastime spawned a bestselling book by comedian Dave Gorman. There is Googleography, which involves tracking down your life online."

A spokesperson for Google said: "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 describe searching the internet. It has some serious trademark issues."