[mintplant]

> Obviously they have to enforce their trademark to avoid losing it

This is a commonly repeated myth. The circumstances in which you could even possibly lose control of a trademark in this way (genericization, abandonment) are very narrow and difficult to apply. For more context, try https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/11/trademark-law-does-not...

[sukilot]

That article about commenting on a trademarked entity, not about businesses doing similar business using a trademarked word.

Of course, backcountry is a special case because it was already generic before it was incorrectly trademarked.

[bsder]

Well, sometimes you still have to enforce it. The trick is you don't have to be a jerk about it:

https://mashable.com/2012/07/22/jack-daniels-trademark-lette...

The problem is that "backcountry" is a generic term and trying to enforce otherwise is simple an act of corporate assholery.