Discussions

SEO to become a trademark

Posted by zackharis • 4/17/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: SEO, trademark

The online community has been in an uproar since the news that someone is in the process of obtaining a trademark for the term “SEO.”

What do you think about this crazy whole thing?

I will retaliate if it goes through.

User Comments

4/17/08

pointlessbanter

I know I lost sleep over it.

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4/17/08

ThriftShopRomantic

But I can't imagine it will go through. It's a descriptive term and not a brand. It's too generic for trademarking.

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4/17/08

creative666

Interested to know where you read about this. I cant find it anywhere on the SEO forums I read.

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1. 4/17/08
  
  zackharis
  
  i post it in my blog together with the video zacksays.com
2. 4/17/08
  
  jmarzo
  
  I was watching the video that zackharis posted, and there seemed to be a typo on the quote. I am not sure if webpronews or the person who is trying to trademark SEO is the one who misspelled the word "services". Below is a screenshot.
4/17/08

carlgalloway

Well considering its become a term to describe the whole industry good luck defending it...

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4/17/08

Kiwipulse

well good luck, I will be surprised if he get the right of the trademark! lol

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4/17/08

zackharis

whatever it is, it's crazy and I hope it will not go through..for the sake of all of us online

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1. 4/17/08
  
  carlgalloway
  
  you're getting nervous about nothing, just keep doing what you're doing and ignore it
4/17/08

zackharis

it will affect us in a way if it goes through.

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1. 4/17/08
  
  Kiwipulse
  
  We will simply call Search Engine Optimization an other way. What about Search Engine Ready ?
2. 4/17/08
  
  carlgalloway
  
  zack I don't think the other big SEO people are going to pay any attention to this, they'll just keep using the expression as they always have done, there is nothing anybody can do to stop them so just ignore it
4/17/08

kevingoodman

They might get it registered but that’s just a formality. Nobody will be able to enforce it because it’s a common expression. Though not bad publicity stunt.

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1. 4/17/08
  
  zackharis
  
  yeah kevin,
  
  i think so too..
  
  Zacky
4/17/08

kaybday

I agree with Kevin, especially about the publicity. Big idea that will get mileage.

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4/17/08

kaybday

Zack, interesting post, and I left a comment once I finally found the box. You gotta lot o' stuff on your pages, that's for sure. Thanks for turning us onto this, tho.

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1. 4/17/08
  
  zackharis
  
  thanks kay,
  
  stick around and keep in touch ok.
  
  Zacky
4/17/08

filmasia

SEO shouldn't be a trademark, that's my view.

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4/17/08

BlogBadly

There's no way he'll get it through.

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4/17/08

machinehuman

One good thing is that people will have to stop using "SEO" like water.

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4/18/08

MadameX

This is silly.

Trademarks that are "merely descriptive" are generally rejected.

More significantly, it is possible to lose trademark protections if an existing trademark becomes sufficiently "genericized" (this is why Google strongly urges us not to use "google" as a verb). "SEO" is clearly sufficiently "genericized" that if it had already been registered, it would be in serious danger; it already appears in at least one dictionary (Webster's New Millennium), which is a significant nail in the coffin for trademarked words and phrases.

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1. 4/18/08
  
  ekim941
  
  It's silly, I agree with you. However, I can see a lawyer accepting a check from a client, knowing that his trademark will get rejected. I'd do it.
  And besides, there's always SRO and PRO
4/18/08

creative666

I have still not heard anything from any other SEO forum - I actually made a point of looking for any references to this!

I'd continue to use it even if it was a trademark.

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4/19/08

zackharis

i don't what's the latest happening..

any one with new updates?

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