Google is apparently having trouble putting a trademark on the word “Glass.” Yes, Glass. You know, Google's head-mounted smart device. Not that thing you drink water out of every single day.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company submitted an application last year for a trademark on the word, but was blocked by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Trademark examiners felt that a patent on "Glass" would be confusing for consumers, noting also that the word is "merely descriptive" rather than "distinctive" and, thus, does not deserve a trademark.
But Google, which has already trademarked the term “Google Glass," isn't ready to give up. The company's trademark lawyers wrote a tome of a response letter and submitted it to the trademark office in September, per the Journal.
As CNET points out, Google isn't the first tech company to try trademarking a generic term. Facebook attempted to get a patent on the word "book" and currently has trademarks on "F," "Face," "FB," "Wall" and "Facepile."
Google may also be having a difficult time getting people to jump on board with its bold device. Negative reactions to Google Glass seem to make headlines every other week. In January, a woman was given a ticket for driving with her device, another was assaulted in a bar over hers in February and several bars and restaurants in California have banned the device altogether.
In response to all the bad press surrounding its much-hyped device, Google released a "Google Glass Myths" guide to shed some positive light on the technology. But even that effort was met with mixed reactions.
Related
Before You Go
