Trademark distinctiveness both concepts, see Apple Corps and its disputes with Apple, Inc. If a court rules that a trademark has become "generic" through common use (such that the mark no longer performs the essential trademark function and the average consumer no longer considers that exclusive rights attach to it), the corresponding registration may also be ruled invalid. For example, the Bayer company's trademark "Aspirin" has been ruled generic in the United States, so other companies may use that name for acetylsalicylic acid as well (although it is still a trademark in Canada). Xerox for photocopiers and Band-Aid for adhesive bandages are
Bark hack The first sentence is basically correct except that the blade is straight rather than curved. With the bark hack, only the bark is removed; it does not cut into the wood as the wood hack did. The wood hack was used up until the early 1950's and the trees were "chipped or streaked" each week during the sap flow season. With the bark hack, only the bark was removed and a 50% sulfuric acid solution was sprayed on the "streak" and it had to be done only every 2 weeks. Bark hack A bark hack is a tool used to