Xerox forbids use of word Xeroxing

Mr. Nick Farrell
The Inquirer

Re: Xerox wants to move away from Xeroxing

Dear Mr. Farrell:

In the September 15, 2004 edition of the The Inquirer, you published an article on Xerox Corporation entitled, "Xerox wants to move away from Xeroxing".

Please be advised that XEROX is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation and is properly used only as an adjective to identify our high quality products and services. In the headline quoted above, the trademark is used improperly as a verb. Such use constitutes a misuse of our trademark and tends to dilute its distinctiveness. As an alternative, we suggest generic terms be used -- such as "copying", "photocopying" or "duplicating".

While we appreciate the pun, we hope that you, as a writer, will readily understand our concern and appreciate our desire to protect the unique and famous “XEROX” trade mark.

Sincerely,

Margaret Williams Walker
Sr. Trademark and Copyright Counsel
Xerox Corporation
800 Long Ridge Road
Stamford, CT 06904

* HOWEVER, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, Xerox can be used as a verb. As well as Marshall McLuhan in the Medium is the Message, it quotes the 1978 Globe & Mail on the 21st of October as saying: "He xeroxes the menu himself and stamps out to post it on the notice board". And also refers to Mr Speaker Lloyd of the Houses of Parliament as saying: "We frequently had to rely on Xeroxed copies of the order paper, amendments, and the Official Report", as well as many other citations including A.S. Byatt: "Schoolgirls were dutifully filling in xeroxed, hand-written, one-word-answerable questionnaires".

An interesting example of the way nouns become verbs appeared on a TV programme we saw in the US last week. In an advert for a product intended to stop smells from toilets, the noun "fragrance" became "This product fragrances your smelly places" - The Letterman.