Band-Aid is a brand name of American pharmaceutical and medical devices giant Johnson & Johnson's line of adhesive bandages.
Video Band-Aid
History
The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by Thomas Anderson and Johnson & Johnson employee Earle Dickson in Escondido, California for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking. The prototype allowed her to dress her wounds without assistance. Dickson passed the idea on to his employer, which went on to produce and market the product as the Band-Aid. Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president before his retirement in 1957. Perhaps a curiosity, the word "Band" in German means tape.
The original Band-Aids were handmade and not very popular. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced a machine that produced sterilized Band-Aids.
In 1951, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced. They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Oliver & Jenny, Superman, Spider-Man, Hello Kitty, Rocket Power, Rugrats, smiley faces, Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Batman and Duck Dynasty. In addition to white toned and brown toned adhesive bandages, Band-Aid sells sheer strips for any color skin tone that can be purchased in stores or online.
In World War II, millions were shipped overseas, helping popularize the product. Since then, Johnson & Johnson currently has estimated a sale of over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide.
Johnson & Johnson continues to defend the Band-Aid trademark against it being genericized.
Maps Band-Aid
Possible generic term
Band-Aid arguably has, over time, become a generic term in the United States, and a generic term cannot function as a trademark; but Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the registration is valid and legal. A registration on the Principal Register does not create ownership rights under the laws of the United States, and a registration may be challenged and removed if the challenger proves as a matter of fact that the alleged trademark has become generic.
Related products
Johnson & Johnson also manufactures liquid bandages, Scar Healing bandages, and Burn-Aid, burn gel-impregnated bandages. Their newest products include Active Flex bandages and waterproof Tough Strips.
To protect the name, their trademark, Johnson & Johnson always refers to its products as "Band-Aid brand", not just Band-Aids.
Manufacturing facilities are located in Brazil, China and Denmark.
See also
- Elastoplast, a comparable European brand and genericized trademark
References
External links
- Band-Aid Brand Official Website
- Band-Aid Brand History
- Johnson & Johnson First Aid Website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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