h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is a short but interesting article on the history of trademarking: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27026704

It describes how some companies lose their brands through their own success. Thermos, yo-yo, aspirin and escalator are all words we now use generically.

The pressure is on for the modern global brands. For how much longer will they be able to protect google or tweet?

And come to that: hoover, bubble wrap, taser, frisbee and rollerblade, which I strictly should have capitalised.

And kleenex and xerox.

and elevator

You're probably thinking of "escalator", that was mentioned in the article (as was Xerox). That was owned by the Otis Elevator corp. Oddly, Otis did NOT invent elevators. Otis invented certain vital features that made elevators in taller buildings feasible, for example their fail-safe brake system. Basically (in over simplified terms), above the elevator car are metal straps like the leaf springs on a car axle, that are connected to the cable. If the cable snaps, the leaf springs straighten out and wedge against the shaft. (Or at least that's how it was explained to me.)


BTW, Hoover is not commonly used as a verb here in the states. We actually do generically say we are going to "vacuum" the carpet, or just "sweep".


Now, another type of trademark destruction has happened (at least here in the US) to the world's oldest trademark, the Bass Ale name and red triangle logo. Since 2005 with Bass being bought by Budweiser InBev, Bass Ale in the US is undrinkable swill brewed at AB-InBev's breweries here in the States. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that the original Bass is still being brewed but isn't available for export by the AB-InBev contract.

I don't profess to know much about beer/brewing; but as the Bass brewery is only a short drive from my home in Derbyshire, it is somewhere I am familiar with. They still use the drey horses through the streets of Burton upon Trent.

Here is a bit of useless information for your edification

http://www.nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk/

http://imbibe.com/feature/nun-n-bass/7657

and yes! I know, that's not about squirrels and it should have been 'dray'

On the subject of Bass and undrinkable swill: I once had a work colleague who was a CamRA (Campaign for Real Ale) branch secretary, and we would visit pubs every lunchtime ostensibly so he could review them. I remember one which was a new refurbishment. The landlord was a massive real ale fan and had 10 guest beers on the handpumps. It was full of CamRA types: pot-bellied bearded men wearing chunky-knit woollen jumpers chatting to each other about specific gravities, mash tuns and the like.

In walked a guy off the street - he was probably about 65 years old and wore a beige crinoline zip-up jacket and flat cap. He slowly surveyed the beers on offer (all with colourful names: Gnats Nadgers, Old Goblin, etc) while the landlord watched him patiently.

Not seeing what he wanted, he approached the bar and said "Pint of Trophy, please". (Trophy wasn't real ale - it was Whitbread's gassy keg bitter).

As the pub fell silent and 30 beards turned towards him, the landlord said "I'm afraid we don't serve Trophy, sir".

"Oh, never mind. I'll just have the nearest thing you've got to it."

The barman, quick as a flash, took a glass, dipped it into the dirty washing up-water and put it on the counter. "I believe this is the nearest, sir".

Trade marks: Ping Pong is one.

Beer: My brother told me a joke while we were washing up some sixty years ago.

Man walks into a bar, notices the sign saying 'Spirits -- Beer-- Billiards' and says to the barman "i'll have a glass of billiards, please.'

Barman consults the owner and comes back with a frothy half-pint of washing-up.

Man drinks with evident relish, and says:

'Strange that. If I wasn't an experienced billiards drinker I would have said that was dishwater.'

--

Ah, you'd have to have been there. I was just the age to be completely helpless with laughter.

On my first (and last until next week) trip to the UK, I was in a London pub when I heard a German with thick accent tell the one about how American beers are like sex in a canoe.


If you haven't heard it yet, "American beer is close to wasser".

Oh, really? Real American beers? Was he sure he wasn't drinking some Belgium swill? You know, like Budweiser?

Pastey, tell them about the American beers.

Has anyone come across the wine normally found in northern France, it is aimed at the British buyer. t has a bulldog on the label and is proudly labeled "The Dogs Bollocks" available in white and red. Put that on the table when you invite granny round for Sunday lunch..

This was in 1985. American beer really was awful. There were NO craft beers then. It was all weak, foamy, lager.

There were only a handful of local breweries still going. Everyone drank Budweiser, Miller, Coors, Schlitz, Pabst Blue Ribbon and similar.

Trivia. In the late 1970's film, Smokey and the Bandit, their mission is to go to Texas to pick up a truck load of Coors Banquet Beer and take it back to Florida in 24 hours. At that time there were few or no refrigerated trucks and Coors refused to sell their "premium" lager West of the Mississippi without it being refrigerated the whole way. Coors Banquet Beer was actually considered the best beer in the US.

THAT'S how bad it was.

*Edit... replace "West" of the Mississippi with "East" of the Mississippi.

Don't understand "some Belgium swill? You know, like Budweiser?"

The original Budweiser is still made in Budjejovice (after which it is named) having successfully fought off the attempt by Anheuser-Busch to buy out the name and submerge it in the very different American Budweiser brand. It is rather good, but cannot compete with the most famous Belgian beers like Leffe or many of the non-export beers brewed in Belgian monasteries and micro-breweries.

Budjejovice is however not in Belgium but in the Czech Republic. Leffe, on the other hand is now owned by Anheuser-Busch.

It's because Anhauser-Busch, the makers of American Budweiser were bought by Belgium based ImBev to become AB-ImBev, the worlds largest purveyor of swill.

You know as long as its beer, I don't find I am that fussy after about 6 pints

~ And it should be VERY, Very Cold . .. ...

Baron Grim, I'm sorry if good beer was not to be found in whichever benighted part of country you found yourself in 1985, but tasty suds were being produced in USA.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, founded 1980.

Mendocino Brewing Company, founded 1983.

And let’s not forget Anchor Brewing Company founded in 1896.

Oh wait, those are all California breweries.

Is there a gloat smiley?