Brands
T/F: Memory Stick is a brand name owned by Sony?
TRUE: Similar to an SD card, the Sony Memory Sticks were used in Cameras, Music Players and Games Consoles
This 1980 sci‑fi musical starring Olivia Newton‑John and roller skates rolled right past audiences and into cult‑flop history.
What is Xanadu?
T/F: Motorola once owned the trademark to "Flip Phone"?
TRUE: Although it has since expired...
This 2012 Disney sci‑fi epic starring Taylor Kitsch had a massive $250M budget but struggled to explain its Martian storyline to audiences.
What is John Carter?
Cyanoacrylate is a fast-acting, ultra-strong adhesive. The everyday name for which is still trademarked. But what's it called?
SUPER GLUE: The Super Glue Corporation commercialised the product in 1958 and continues to own the trademark.
Japanese firm Kawasaki owns the brand name of this personal watercraft. But what is the name?
JET SKI
This 2017 TV revival of a once‑beloved sitcom was cancelled after just one season due to attempts to retool it without its original creator.
What is The Muppets (2015–2016)?
T/F: Apple owns the trademark "App Store"
FALSE: After suing Amazon in 2012 and failing to win, apple relinquished the trademark in 2013
This 2003 Ben Affleck superhero movie landed with such a thud that even Affleck later joked he never wants to “wear red leather again.”
What is Daredevil?
Fibreglass or Fiberglass?
FIBERGLASS: The versatile fibre-reinforced resin material was trademarked in 1938 as "Fiberglas" by the Owens Corning company
T/F: Trampoline was once a brand name before it found itself the generic term for a "rebound tumbler"
TRUE: The first modern trampoline was made in 1936 by US gymnast George Nissen and his trainer Larry Griswold, and trademarked not long after.
This 2019 musical adaptation with CGI fur left critics scratching their heads and audiences purring with confusion.
What is Cats (2019)?
T/F: Pilates, Once a protected trademark, cancelled in 2000 as the term has become generic by a New York judge?
True: The exercise method developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s was a protected trademark owned by New York's Pilates Studio until 2000
This 2011 CGI‑heavy film adaptation of a beloved comic book hero starred Ryan Reynolds but was lampooned for its green suit.
What is Green Lantern?
Invented in 1957 by New Jersey engineers who fused two shower curtains together to make an everyday protective material. But what's it called?
BUBBLE WRAP!
T/F: To “Google” something has become a generic turn of phrase meaning to look something up on the internet, but the word is actually still protected.
TRUE: Google even won a 2017 court case over the matter and has retained the trademark.
This 1978 musical follow‑up to the original, starring Olivia Newton‑John, famously featured none of the original cast and was panned for lacking its predecessor’s spark.
What is Grease 2?
T/F: Champagne can only be given to wine coming from grapes, grown and harvested, in the Champagne region of France.
TRUE: Apple even got told off for attempting to describe one of its phones as “champagne-coloured” back in 2013.
This 2020 Robert Downey Jr. family film involved talking animals and balloon‑powered adventures—audiences, however, didn’t talk back.
What is Dolittle?
Société Bic, which launched the world's best-selling pen in 1950. But what's in called?
BIRO: after its inventor László Bíró
Which country birthed the brand name of Jacuzzi?
USA: Although Americans refer to them as Hot Tubs...
This 1995 Kevin Costner water‑logged epic became one of the most expensive box‑office failures of its era.
What is Waterworld?
Wham-O holds many trademarks for everyday recreational items you might not know are still protected... Can you name one?
FRISBEE, HULA-HOOP, SLIP N SLIDE, HACKY SACK, BOOGIE BOARD
This Will Smith sci‑fi epic co‑starring his son was intended as a franchise starter but instead became a critical crash‑landing.
What is After Earth?
Velcro is a composite name, which 2 French words are combined to make it?
French words 'velour' ('velvet') and 'crochet' ('hook'). Velcro was invented by Swiss engineer George de Mestral in 1941