LINOLEUM

Linoleum was invented by Englishman Frederick Walton in 1855. At first Walton called his invention “Kampticon”, which was deliberately close to Kamptulicon, the name of an existing floor covering, but he soon changed it to Linoleum, which he derived from the Latin words “linum” (flax) and “oleum” (oil). Walton opened the American Linoleum Manufacturing Company in 1872 on Staten Island. It was the first U.S. linoleum manufacturer, but was soon followed by the American Nairn Linoleum Company in 1887 (later the Congoleum Corporation of America), in Kearny, New Jersey. Walton was unhappy with Michael Nairn & Co’s use of the name Linoleum and brought a lawsuit against them for trademark infringement. However, the term had not been trademarked, and he lost the suit. The court opined that even if the mane had been registered as a trademark, it was by now so widely used that it had become generic, only 14 years after its invention. It is considered to be the first product name to become a generic term.