When is a Zamboni not a Zamboni?
A: When it is a Zamboni® ice resurfacing machine.
After one of Claire’s skating lessons, the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine came onto the ice to start its work. Claire asked me what it was called and I promptly, though incorrectly replied, “That’s a Zamboni!”. She gave me a funny look and asked, “A Zamboni?”.
I started to think about my comment and remembered way back when everyone called their portable cassette players “Walkmans” or their tissues, “Kleenex”. These days, everyone’s “Photoshopping” pictures and listening to music on their “iPods”.
Of course, you can’t blame Zamboni for protecting their trademark. If you don’t protect your trademark, you’re bound to lose it and your trademark becomes just another generic term.
