One of the world’s most iconic brands, a symbol of pop culture made famous by the 70’s song “YMCA” is now to be called “the Y”. The non profit founded 166 years ago in England as the Young Men’s Christian Association is officially adopting the nickname used by its customer base, thus following a trend set by companies such as KFC, BP or AARP who have all changed their original brand names to abbreviations.

Eco-friendliness is one of the most popular social movements of this generation, and “green chic” is a trend that has endured through fashion’s fickle seasons. The message is clear: people care about the environment—and they’re willing to pay premium for products that promise to save it. From Whole Foods’ organic grub to Toyota’s Prius , smart companies have capitalized on products labeled with hip buzzwords like “sustainable” and “energy-efficient.”

What pops into your brain when you first hear the name "iPad"? For many people, the name for Apple’s new tablet computer did not bring to mind a computer product at all. Journalists, bloggers, and marketing professionals alike have called the name iPad “terrible”, as it reminds them of feminine products. “Are there any women in Apple marketing?” asked the founder of a technology PR firm. “The first impression of every single woman I’ve spoken to is that [the name iPad] is cringe-inducing. It indicates to me that there wasn’t a lot of testing or feedback.” Experts are worried that this bad naming decision could hurt sales since women account for about 40 percent of gadget spending¹.

With the fierce competition going on in our global village, parents are now trying to give the best of everything to their children, expecting the little ones of today to make a big difference tomorrow. Traditionally, tender loving care and early childhood education were considered necessary, but has a linguistic check for baby names now also been added to the to-do list for parents?

At the recent 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show, Shanghai Volkswagen unveiled a modestly face-lifted Volkswagen Tiguan. The Chinese name was also officially released as “途观” (tú guān). 途 means a road, route, or journey, and is also used in 前途 (qiántú) meaning future, career, and prospects. 观 as a noun means “view”, and when used as a verb means to look at, watch, or observe. Overall, the name”途观” (tú guān) implies that by driving Tiguan you can reach destinations that others cannot achieve, and appreciate unprecedented landscapes.

According to a plan recently released by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC), China is now striving to improve the quality of its trademark-related services to meet various demands. It is expected that the cycle of trademark examination will be reduced to less than 10 months in 2012. Meanwhile, the maximum cycle for receiving objections and approving accreditation will also be decreased to 20 months. These changes indicate that trademark applications will become more convenient, thereby encouraging companies to set up their brands in China.