Google has put some pressure on Sweden’s Language Council after it tried to add “ungoogleable” to its list of words, according to a report out of the country. Swedish news outlet Sverigesradio is reporting today that Google’s lawyers contacted the Language Council after it announced that it would make “ungoogleable” (or, in Swedish, “ogooglebar”) an official word. After “a long e-mail exchange” with the lawyers, the Council decided to drop its bid to make it a word, saying that it took “too much time and resources away from other work.” “Ungoogleable” was going to be defined as “that cannot be found on the Web using a search engine.” Google reportedly believed that using its name in the word was unfair and ostensibly wanted another term to define the problem. Google has been fighting this battle for years. In 2006, for instance, the company warned that it would crack down on those who used the term “google it” when telling someone to search the Web.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.