Registered Trademarks
Q. When using “Google” as a verb—Googled, Googling, etc.—should it be capitalized? Even if one is not referring necessarily to the use of the official Google Web site, but merely using “google” loosely as a synonym for checking something out?
A. Google is a brand name; you must always capitalize it (see paragraph 8.162 in CMOS 15)—unless, for example, you are writing about a certain type of tricky bowling in a cricket match. Out of curiosity, I used Google to Google the act of Googling. I wanted to make sure I had the verb, so I typed in a phrase that I remember hearing spoken by Jennifer Lopez in the recent film Maid in Manhattan: “Google it at school.” This rather specific phrase resulted in just three hits (only one of which properly capitalized “Google”), and that’s certainly just the tip of the iceberg. But does Hollywood have the power to crown new words as descendants of Coke, Kleenex, and Xerox —those brand names that, perhaps to the chagrin of their owners, have come to embody entire genera? Probably not. Only the masses—i.e., lots (if not quite googols) of people—can do that.
