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From: Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz>
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: National Dictionary Day (16 October)
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2024 20:42:07 +1300
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On 20/10/2024 1:56 p.m., Stefan Ram wrote:
> Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz> wrote or quoted:
>> I remember being told this long ago, that Webster was unable to
>> trademark his name, or the right lapsed after his death or some such, so
>> that 20th century dictionaries with "Webster" in the title might have no
>> connection whatsoever to Noah's work. That some people continued this
>> deceptive practice is an indication of how much NW had been identified
>> with the idea of a "definitive dictionary".
> 
>    I'm going to share a quote from a 1989 book with this esteemed
>    group for your kind consideration:
> 
> |~%[ W ]%~®
> |
> |A GENUINE MERRIAM-WEBSTER
> |
> |The name Webster alone is no guarantee of excellence. It is used by
> |a number of publishers and may serve mainly to mislead an unwary
> |buyer.
> |
> |A Merriam-Webster® is the registered trademark you should look
> |for when you consider the purchase of dictionaries or other fine
> |reference books. It carries the reputation of a company that has
> |been publishing since 1831 and is your assurance of quality and
> |authority.
> 
     .
That's right.

"The rights to his dictionary were acquired by Charles and George 
Merriam in 1843 from Webster's estate and all contemporary 
Merriam-Webster dictionaries trace their lineage to that of Webster, 
although many others have adopted his name, attempting to share in the 
popularity."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster