If TiVo has its way, it won't go the way of Xerox, Kleenex, and Google. According to The New York Times, at least, TiVo is beginning to aggressively defend its trademark, fighting those who try to make it a verb (to TiVo: To record television digitally) or a noun (TiVo: a Boyfriend, as in Miranda Hobbes'). To me, the brand-as-verb (or noun, for that matter) has always seemed to bestow a sort of flattery; a sense that your brand is so well-known and so powerful that people use it as part of their practical, everyday speech. Something tells me the trademark lawyers don't agree with me. What do you think?

(Excuse me, I have to go TiVo--er, digitally record--Jon Stewart.)