Google's grammar lecture drones on

The folks at Google would like to remind people, again, that Google is a noun, not a verb.

A posting on the company's blog reiterates a point that trademark lawyers can recite in their sleep--namely, if you don't protect a trademark, you'll lose it. They bring up the textbook examples of zipper, baby oil, brassiere and trampolines as words that once referred to brand names, but are now generic terms.

"While we're pleased that so many people think of us when they think of searching the web, let's face it, we do have a brand to protect, so we'd like to make clear that you should please only use 'Google' when you're actually referring to Google Inc. and our services," the blog says.

While the company is completely correct from a legal standpoint, the posting, which follows some , earned it little but scorn from bloggers.

Blog community response:

"'Do you "Google?"' has to be one of the most patronizing blog posts ever to have originated from the Googleplex. (In fact I've just noticed that the title itself sets the tone of the post - a blatant mocking of the slogan of its nearest competitor.)"
--Ben Metcalfe blog

"Last I checked Google and I both live in a free country. So if I want to google from Yahoo, I actually can via Yahoo Shortcuts. Or, I can google using Yubnub or on AOL. In addition, technically, using Google's own new CSE program, I can google from anywhere."
--Micro Persuasion

"Does Moron really think that Google is so invincible that they will never be eclipsed? (Uh-oh. Does IBM know I just used Eclipse as a verb?) Lecturing to the best .00001% of your customers, the ones that like you so much that they read your blog, is just stupid you Moron. Your trademark doesn't pay your bills. The time and attention of your users that come to your search engine and click on your advertisements does. So let them talk how they will and tell your lawyers to go back into the hole they crawled out of and leave them alone."
--The End of the Long Tail