From: benlizro@ihug.co.nz   
      
   On 20/10/2024 1:56 p.m., Stefan Ram wrote:   
   > Ross Clark  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.   
   >   
        .   
   That's right.   
      
   "The rights to his dictionary were acquired by Charles and George   
   Merriam in 1843 from Webster's estate and all contemporary   
   Merriam-Webster dictionaries trace their lineage to that of Webster,   
   although many others have adopted his name, attempting to share in the   
   popularity."   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)