Google is finding it difficult to trademark the word 'glass'
Mathew Sumner/Getty Images

It may seem that Google rules the world, but the ubiquitous company is having some trademark trouble. The Wall Street Journal reports Google is having a tough time getting the U.S. trademark office to approve its registration of the word "glass." Google wants to control the word as the public launch for its internet-connected eyewear nears.
Last year, Google successfully trademarked the phrase "Google Glass," but examiners are pushing back its application for the single word, claiming it could create customer confusion. Even if the word is displayed in the company's sleek font, examiners worry that it's still "merely descriptive" and generic words, like glass, can't be trademarked. ("You couldn't trademark the word 'shoe' for a shoe you're selling, for instance," notes the Journal.)
Google's attorneys responded to the trademark office claims last week with a 2,000-page letter disagreeing with their points, notably pushing back on the "descriptive" issue by noting that the actual device doesn't consist of glass, but of titanium and plastic. Read the rest at the Journal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
-
The financial changes to expect in 'Awful April'
The Explainer As the new financial year begins, it brings changes for bills, wages and tax
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: April 2, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: April 2, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Test flight of orbital rocket from Europe explodes
Speed Read Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of the Spectrum orbital rocket, which crashed after takeoff
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Apple pledges $500B in US spending over 4 years
Speed Read This is a win for Trump, who has pushed to move manufacturing back to the US
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Microsoft unveils quantum computing breakthrough
Speed Read Researchers say this advance could lead to faster and more powerful computers
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
TikTok's fate uncertain as weekend deadline looms
Speed Read The popular app is set to be banned in the U.S. starting Sunday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Appeals court kills FCC net neutrality rule
Speed Read A U.S. appeals court blocked Biden's effort to restore net-neutrality rules
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge rejects Elon Musk's $56B pay package again
Speed Read Judge Kathaleen McCormick upheld her rejection of the Tesla CEO's unprecedented compensation deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
DOJ seeks breakup of Google, Chrome
Speed Read The Justice Department aims to force Google to sell off Chrome and make other changes to rectify its illegal search monopoly
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Racist texts tell Black people in US to prepare for slavery
Speed Read Recipients in at least a dozen states have been told to prepare to 'pick cotton' on slave plantations
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published