Hidden Trademarks: 40 Common Words That Are Actually Trademarked

You’re careful about the obvious stuff. No Disney. No NFL. No Marvel.

But then your listing gets removed for saying “onesie.”

Wait, what?

Turns out, dozens of everyday words are actually trademarked. You use them constantly without realizing. And on Etsy, using them can get your listings pulled.

This list has saved me from multiple takedowns. Now it can save you.

How This Happens

A company invents a product. They give it a catchy name. The product becomes popular. The name becomes the generic term everyone uses.

But legally, it’s still a trademark.

The companies behind these words actively defend them. Some send cease and desist letters. Others file takedowns directly. A few have sued sellers.

Using these words in your Etsy listings creates real risk.

The 40 Hidden Trademarks

Baby & Kids Products

1. Onesie

Owner: Gerber Childrenswear
Say instead: Bodysuit, romper, baby bodysuit, infant one-piece
Notes: This catches SO many baby product sellers. Gerber actively defends this trademark.

2. Pack ‘n Play

Owner: Graco
Say instead: Portable crib, travel crib, play yard
Notes: Generic “playpen” is fine.

3. Crayola

Owner: Crayola LLC
Say instead: Crayons, colored pencils, coloring supplies
Notes: Can’t use Crayola even if you’re making crayon-themed crafts.

Fasteners & Closures

4. Velcro

Owner: Velcro IP Holdings LLC
Say instead: Hook and loop fastener, hook and loop closure
Notes: Velcro has an entire legal department for this. They’ve released videos begging people to stop using their name generically.

5. Zipper

Owner: Originally B.F. Goodrich (now generic)
Say instead: Zipper is actually OK now - the trademark was lost to genericization
Notes: Listed here as an example of what CAN happen when brands don’t defend trademarks.

Health & Beauty

6. ChapStick

Owner: Haleon
Say instead: Lip balm, lip treatment, moisturizing lip balm
Notes: All lip balm isn’t ChapStick, even though we talk like it is.

7. Band-Aid

Owner: Johnson & Johnson
Say instead: Adhesive bandage, bandage strip, first aid bandage
Notes: J&J enforces this, especially on products.

8. Q-tip

Owner: Unilever
Say instead: Cotton swab, cotton bud, ear swab
Notes: Yes, this is trademarked.

9. Vaseline

Owner: Unilever
Say instead: Petroleum jelly
Notes: Vaseline is a brand, not a product type.

10. Jacuzzi

Owner: Jacuzzi Inc
Say instead: Hot tub, whirlpool bath, spa tub
Notes: Jacuzzi is one company. Hot tubs are the product.

Kitchen & Home

11. Crock-Pot

Owner: Sunbeam Products
Say instead: Slow cooker
Notes: Very commonly misused. “Slow cooker” is the generic term.

12. Tupperware

Owner: Tupperware Brands
Say instead: Food storage container, plastic container, meal prep container
Notes: Your container isn’t Tupperware unless it’s actually made by Tupperware.

13. Pyrex

Owner: Corelle Brands
Say instead: Glass bakeware, tempered glass dish, glass container
Notes: Pyrex is a brand of glass bakeware.

14. Formica

Owner: Formica Corporation
Say instead: Laminate, laminate countertop, laminate surface
Notes: Formica is a specific brand of laminate.

15. Styrofoam

Owner: DuPont (Dow Chemical)
Say instead: Polystyrene foam, foam, expanded polystyrene
Notes: Technically Styrofoam is a specific DuPont product. The cups and packaging you’re thinking of aren’t actually Styrofoam.

Sports & Recreation

16. Jet Ski

Owner: Kawasaki
Say instead: Personal watercraft, PWC, water scooter
Notes: Jet Ski is Kawasaki’s brand. Sea-Doo is Bombardier’s. “Personal watercraft” is generic.

17. Ping Pong

Owner: Parker Brothers/Escalade Sports
Say instead: Table tennis
Notes: Yes, really. “Table tennis” is the generic (and official Olympic) name.

18. Frisbee

Owner: Wham-O
Say instead: Flying disc, disc toy
Notes: This one surprises everyone.

19. Rollerblade

Owner: Rollerblade Inc (Tecnica Group)
Say instead: Inline skates
Notes: Rollerblade is a brand. Inline skates are the product.

20. Hula Hoop

Owner: Wham-O
Say instead: Fitness hoop, exercise hoop, hooping ring
Notes: Another Wham-O trademark people assume is generic.

Office & Craft Supplies

21. Sharpie

Owner: Newell Brands
Say instead: Permanent marker
Notes: Sharpie is a brand. Permanent marker is the product.

22. Wite-Out / White-Out

Owner: BIC
Say instead: Correction fluid, correction tape
Notes: Same category as Band-Aid - brand name that became common speech.

23. Scotch Tape

Owner: 3M
Say instead: Transparent tape, adhesive tape, clear tape
Notes: Scotch is 3M’s brand.

24. Post-it

Owner: 3M
Say instead: Sticky notes, adhesive notes
Notes: 3M defends both Scotch and Post-it actively.

25. Xerox

Owner: Xerox Corporation
Say instead: Photocopy, copy
Notes: “Xerox” as a verb drives their legal team crazy.

Tech & Electronics

26. Photoshop

Owner: Adobe
Say instead: Photo editing, digitally edited, image manipulation
Notes: Adobe is aggressive about this. “Photoshopped” isn’t a word you can use commercially.

27. Google (as a verb)

Owner: Google/Alphabet
Say instead: Search online, web search, internet search
Notes: Using “google” as a generic verb technically infringes. They’ve sent legal letters over this.

28. OLED

Owner: LG
Say instead: Organic LED, self-emissive display
Notes: Less enforced but still technically trademarked.

29. Jumbotron

Owner: Sony
Say instead: Large screen display, stadium screen, big screen
Notes: The original Jumbotrons were Sony products.

Food & Beverage

30. Popsicle

Owner: Unilever
Say instead: Ice pop, frozen treat, fruit pop
Notes: Popsicle is a brand. Ice pop is the product.

31. Cracker Jack

Owner: Frito-Lay
Say instead: Caramel popcorn, candied popcorn
Notes: For Cracker Jack-themed crafts or designs.

32. Bubble Wrap

Owner: Sealed Air Corporation
Say instead: Air cushion packaging, inflated packaging, protective bubbles
Notes: This one’s enforced.

Outdoor & Tools

33. Dumpster

Owner: Dempster Brothers Inc
Say instead: Waste container, trash container, garbage bin
Notes: Wild that this is trademarked, but it is.

34. AstroTurf

Owner: AstroTurf Corporation
Say instead: Artificial turf, synthetic grass, fake grass
Notes: AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf.

35. Zamboni

Owner: Frank J. Zamboni & Co
Say instead: Ice resurfacer
Notes: Every ice resurfacer isn’t a Zamboni.

Fashion & Apparel

36. Speedo

Owner: Speedo International
Say instead: Swim briefs, competitive swimwear, racing swimsuit
Notes: Speedo is a brand, not a style of swimwear.

37. UGG

Owner: Deckers Outdoor Corporation
Say instead: Sheepskin boots, fleece-lined boots
Notes: UGG has litigated this extensively.

Service Terms

38. Realtor

Owner: National Association of Realtors
Say instead: Real estate agent
Notes: Only NAR members can be called Realtors. It’s trademarked.

39. Seeing Eye Dog

Owner: The Seeing Eye Inc
Say instead: Guide dog, service dog
Notes: “Seeing Eye” is their organization’s name, trademarked.

40. Breathalyzer

Owner: Smith & Wesson
Say instead: Breath alcohol tester, blood alcohol tester
Notes: The original was a Smith & Wesson product.

How to Protect Your Listings

Step 1: Ctrl+F this list against your listings. Check titles, tags, and descriptions.

Step 2: Replace trademarked terms with generic alternatives.

Step 3: When describing products, ask: “Is this a brand name or a product type?” If you’re not sure, look it up.

Step 4: Use a trademark scanner to catch terms you don’t know about. This list has 40 examples. There are thousands more.

The Bigger Picture

These hidden trademarks catch sellers because we’ve all grown up using these words as generic terms. Nobody thinks twice about saying “put it in a Tupperware” or “grab me a Band-Aid.”

But commercial use is different from casual speech. When you’re selling products, you need the generic terms.

The good news: Once you know the pattern, it’s easy to adjust. “Hook and loop fastener” is just as clear as “Velcro” to your customers.

Your listings need to be trademark-proof. Not just for the obvious words, but for these hidden ones too.