Re: National Dictionary Day (16 October)

Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz> wrote or quoted:

I remember being told this long ago, that Webster was unable to
trademark his name, or the right lapsed after his death or some such, so
that 20th century dictionaries with "Webster" in the title might have no
connection whatsoever to Noah's work. That some people continued this
deceptive practice is an indication of how much NW had been identified
with the idea of a "definitive dictionary".

  I'm going to share a quote from a 1989 book with this esteemed
  group for your kind consideration:

|~%[ W ]%~®
|
|A GENUINE MERRIAM-WEBSTER
|
|The name Webster alone is no guarantee of excellence. It is used by
|a number of publishers and may serve mainly to mislead an unwary
|buyer.
|
|A Merriam-Webster® is the registered trademark you should look
|for when you consider the purchase of dictionaries or other fine
|reference books. It carries the reputation of a company that has
|been publishing since 1831 and is your assurance of quality and
|authority.

  .