Rollerblade
Encyclopedia
Rollerblade is a brand of inline skates owned by Nordica
Nordica (Company)
Based in Treviso, Italy under the Tecnica Group, the Nordica brand manufactures skis, ski boots, and accessories for skiing....

, part of the Tecnica Group of Trevignano
Trevignano
Trevignano is a town and comune in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy.The commune of Trevignano contains the towns of Trevignano, Signoressa, Musano & Falzé ....

, Treviso, Italy
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...

.

The company was started by Scott Olsen (b. 1960) and Brennan Olson (b. 1964) in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 as Ole's Innovative Sports; when they sold the company, it became Rollerblade, Inc. and has changed hands over time between Nordica, Benetton Group
Benetton Group
Benetton Group S.p.A. is a global luxury fashion brand, based in Treviso, Italy. The name comes from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965. Benetton Group is listed in Milan....

 and Tecnica.

Rollerblade is a registered trademark which has been in use since March 1983. While the company does not want the meaning of its trademark to be diluted, the term "rollerblade" is frequently used in casual conversations as a genericized trademark
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...

 for any inline skate, regardless of brand. This misuse has also appeared on "official" items such as signs, building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...

s, and sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...

s.

The company is also responsible for the creation of the TRS ("Team Rollerblade Series") model of aggressive inline skates
Aggressive inline skating
Aggressive inline skating is a form of inline skating, performed on specially designed inline skates with focus on sliding stances known as grinds with a focus on new tricks, stunts and personal style. Participants refer to the activity as "'rollerblading'", "blading", "skating" or "rolling"...

.

See also

  • Genericized trademark
    Genericized trademark
    A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...

  • Trademark dilution
    Trademark dilution
    Trademark dilution is a trademark law concept giving the owner of a famous trademark standing to forbid others from using that mark in a way that would lessen its uniqueness. In most cases, trademark dilution involves an unauthorized use of another's trademark on products that do not compete with,...

  • Roller skate
  • Inline skating
    Inline skating
    Inline skating is a recreational sport practiced widely internationally. Inline skates typically have 2 to 5 polyurethane wheels, arranged in a single line. The in-line design allows for greater speed than roller skates and better maneuverability...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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