8, "Ne Plus Ultra", Again,

[rhr]

Here are some more Ne-Plus-Ultras. Trademark no. 05563, Reynolds & Reynolds, "Inks", Jan 22, 1878, used since 1876, for a complex label with a crescent, a cross, a globe, the words "Ne Plus Ultra Of 1876" and "Self Copying Ink" within a diamond shape, and the firm name beneath. There are also other trademarks that are synonyms for "nothing more beyond", or "none better than". Trademark no. 11513, George F. King, "Steel Pens", Sept 23, 1884, used since 1876, for the word "Nonpareil". Trademark no. 32464, Carter's Ink Co., "Ideal Carbon Paper", Feb 7, 1899, used since July 1892, for the words "Facile Princeps", or "Easily First". Trademark no. 35048, L. E. Waterman Co., "Fountain-Pens", Sept 18, 1900, used since July 1, 1883, for the word "Ideal". The word also appeared in about 13 other subsequent Waterman's trademarks. An illustrated ad in the Scientific American, Apr 13, 1889, p.238, shows a pen with the words "Waterman's Ideal Pen" on the barrel. It's similar to this one on Olle Hjort's website, also from 1889. I think the "5, 89" in the ad means May 1889. Waterman most likely took out this trademark and US trademark no. 49715, in response to such uses of the word "Ideal" as the ones in Carter trademark no. 32,464 above, and "The Ideal Scrap Book" in US patent nos. 675,226 and 683,632, and the whole climate of such copycat trademarks as "Apex", "Champion", "Climax", "Clymax", "Klymax", "Crown", "Eclipse", "Idea", "Paragon", "Triumph", "Universal", and "Zenith", and many other superlative names and exaggerated claims.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

 

If you want to perform the trademark searches yourselves, simply cut and paste, or type the trademark numbers into the search window in the

Trademark Document Retrieval Portlet. --G.

Edited May 4, 2010 by rhr

[antoniosz]

Awesome findings. Truly enjoyable. Now all we need is ... time to study them

[rhr]

Thanks, Antonios. I'm enjoying this as well, but I could use a bit more time, too. ;~)