Sentence examples for become generic from inspiring English sources

If a mark has become generic and is used generally in the language or the trade, and not specifically to refer to the trade mark owner's goods or services, it cannot identify a particular entity and so cannot fulfil its fundamental purpose.

Fugazi, Irving Plaza, New York, 1995 This shot was taken at a time in the mid-90s when hip-hop was beginning to become generic and things in music generally, for me at least, weren't as exciting as they had been.

Under some circumstances, terms that are not originally generic can become generic over time (a process called "genericity"), and thus become unprotected.

"The strips malls, I think, become generic.

Otherwise it can become generic and not Twyla.

"The varietal names have become generic," Mr. Draper said.

In some circumstances, a trademarked term will be so successful that it eventually becomes "generic"; that is, the general public believes that the trademarked term is actually the name of a class of goods.

Rebellion became generic.

"The Joy of Sex" redux becomes generic — Cook's Illustrated with boobies.

When LFO did succumb to a big ballad, however, the sound became generic and dull.

My protagonist became Generic Old Man: crabby, computer illiterate, grieving for his dementia-addled wife.