AMCP Tech Blog

Merriam-Webster has just added a handful of new words that will appear in the next update of their dictionary - And popular technology terms such as "Google" and "spyware" have also made the update. Although the terms can already be found in the online version of Merriam-Webster, they will be included in the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, which is scheduled for publication later this year. Google predicted in an annual report published in 2005 (PDF) that their trademarked term would join Xerox, Kleenex, and Coke in some of the most commonly used terms in the world.

However, with so many people using the word 'Google' in everyday speech, some fear that Google might actually loose control of their brand image. The report that Google published also coincided with these fears: "There is a risk that the word 'Google' could become so commonly used that it becomes synonymous with the word 'search.' We could lose protection for this trademark, which could result in other people using the word 'Google' to refer to their own products, thus diminishing our brand.''