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It hasn't.
http://www.aspirin.com/en/abou...

"The active ingredient in Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid."

I don't usually buy 'Advil' or 'Bayer'. I buy 'ibuprofen' or 'aspirin'. I have little need for a brand name attachment to the drug I'm after.

Where I live, Aspirin is a brand name trademarked by Bayer. "Today, Aspirin is a registered trademark of Bayer AG in Germany and more than 80 other countries." See http://www.aspirin.com/faq_en.html for more info (if you are really bored).

"Aspirin"?

http://www.aspirin.com/faq_en.html

Protect a trademark or lose it.

For the longest time, I thought that was the case- Bayer didn't enforce their trademark rights. I seem to recall a professor in law school telling us that.

Imagine my suprise when I read that Bayer lost the trademark for "aspirin" and "heroin" to the victors of WWI as part of the Versailles Treaty in 1919. Call it war reparations.

Only a vague reference from Bayer. Turns out once the US government sold the mark to Sterling Drug, they were unable to protect against the generic use and lost the mark. Other resources tell the same story, so I'm not sure what to believe now. The web or my professor...?

"The new substance with its surprisingly simple chemical structure rapidly proved its superiority in clinical trials - it is highly effective and relatively well tolerated. In 1899, acetylsalicylic acid was launched on the German market under the trademark Aspirin(R). Today, Aspirin(R) is a registered trademark of Bayer AG in Germany and more than 80 other countries. In countries where Aspirin(R) is not protected by trademark status, such as the United States, the term Aspirin(R) can be used generically for all products containing the active substance acetylsalicylic acid. However, genuine Aspirin(R), renowned the world over, is only available with the Bayer Cross."

Bayer still considers it trademarked judging from all the ® warts here. No, I can't explain it.

Interesting about WWI, I had not heard that. I heard how well reparations worked out, though. What a headache.

"aspirin" used to be a registered trademark?

According to this Flash map, ASPIRIN® is still a trademark in many jurisdictions; Bayer had to give it up in the U.S. after WWI.

trademarks slopping over into public domain even before the 75-year trademark expiration date.

Bullshit. Trademark registrations can be renewed every 10 years. This renewal is legitimate, unlike the 20-year across-the-board renewals that Disney keeps buying for copyrights that severely erode the public's end of the bargain under which the Constitution authorizes certain government-granted monopolies.

And yes, I do like the taste of SPAM luncheon meat and SPAMBURGER sandwiches.

How long till all the geeks admit "hacker" is the same thing as a "cracker"?

I'd be satisfied if the media called computer crime "illegal hacking," just as it calls recreational substances "illegal drugs" to contrast with legitimate drugs such as ASPIRIN®.

Couldn't find any mention of it in his link, or at the Bayer site, though.

Aspirin is still a trademark in several countries. See also this Flash map.

Bayer tried to protect its trademark on "aspirin" too late in the U.S.

Not exactly. Bayer used to own trademarks on ASPIRIN® and HEROIN® but lost them in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

In Europe, it's still in vigor (in several forms -- Aspirin, Aspirina, etc.), making it harder for the competition, which must bill themselves as acetylsalicylic acid....

Here's a map showing places where Bayer still owns the ASPIRIN® trademark.

Tylenol-brand pain reliever" is OK; "Aspirin-brand pills" is not.

Except in some jurisdictions, Bayer still has a trademark on ASPIRIN® brand acetylsalicylic acid pain reliever. See also this Flash map of jurisdictions.

Tylenol-brand pain reliever" is OK; "Aspirin-brand pills" is not.

Except in some jurisdictions, Bayer still has a trademark on ASPIRIN® brand acetylsalicylic acid pain reliever. See also this Flash map of jurisdictions.

-Isaac