Talk:nerf

I'm not sure what the trademark status is for this.

In common usage, "nerf ball" could mean any light foam ball, just as "kleenex" could mean any facial tissue and "xerox" doesn't necessarily imply use of a Xerox photocopier.

Corporations, of course, take a different view and tend to defend their trademarks rather agressively, at least here in the US. Nerf is currently owned by Hasbro but may have begun as an independent entity. See http://www.hasbro.com/nerf/

In any case, I don't think the usage "nerf" in "nerf bar" is trademarked, or even necessarily related. I don't know if it is used in other contexts, or where it comes from, but it definitely predates Nerf balls.

I think we're covered if we add a trademark notice, but then should trademarked terms be in Wiktionary at all? -dmh 15:34, 15 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Is it possible that someone could hear the term "nerf ball", not know what it means, and want to look it up? Is it possible that someone writing could wonder about the proper use of the word in exactly this manner, and want to look up usage notes?  If the answer to either question is yes, than it should be in the Wiktionary.  &mdash;Długosz


 * Going by the example of print dictionaries, trademarked terms should certainly be in Wiktionary where they are commonly known. This is particularly true of terms (as mentioned above) such as Kleenex, Xerox, Hoover, Biro and Bic (a ballpoint pen in France) which are used generically and often with lower-case initials (albeit to the manufacturers' chagrin and disdain).


 * That said, I don't think it would be useful to include every known trademark as this would lead to endless entries containing little more than "a brand of XXX" (where XXX is some product). -- Paul G 09:47, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I too was wondering about the corporate name being used as a descriptive adjective for one of various soft foam products. Not necessarily specific to the brand, as mentioned previously with Kleenex. Also isn't the origin of the name for Nerf brand toys derived from "nerf herders" mentioned in StarWars fiction? --71.194.160.54 06:06, 13 January 2006 (UTC)

RFV discussion: August–October 2015
Spanish misspelling of nerd. Seems dubious, although I've seen in written by a native in a txtmsg before. --A230rjfowe (talk) 00:13, 2 August 2015 (UTC)


 * RFV failed. —Mr. Granger (talk • contribs) 19:40, 24 October 2015 (UTC)