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That's a very meta comment, but I'll have to mark it with an X. Would you like an apple for your efforts?

trademark != copyright. VW just means people's car, but I'd be in some trouble if I launched a new transportation company called "Volk's Wagens"

I meant trademarks.

Of course a trademark of a common word might arise naturally from being in the market and becoming widely recognized (e.g. Apple), but you can't file a trademark for it until you have become widely recognized.

This is why Nova is a very popular term for products.

That's not right. The more a term is in the market, the more difficult it is to get a trademark approved.

The difficulty comes from the obligation to protect a trademark - if you have trademark rights to a term and don't take reasonable steps to protect it, you're at risk of losing your rights.

Apple