Talk:Cheerios

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It's not at all clear from the first three pages of bgc hits whether this meets the CFI for brand names or not. I've not got the time atm to look any more than I have though (hence the rfv not rfd). Thryduulf 03:07, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

• Here are some examples that should meet the CFI for brand names:

1. • 1977, Joyce Peserof, The Hardness Scale, p. 40:

     It was an Olympic pool. The neighbor's is much smaller. When his children tire they run inside, leaving innertubes to float, Cheerios in a big, blue bowl.

   • 1978, Diane Johnson, Lying Low, p. 254:

     All of us together only yesterday, thinks Theo — only this morning — and now how far away they are, with their little mouths, little round O's like Cheerios.

   • 1986, Clyde Edgerton, Raney: Novel, p. 158:

     They've got sailboat steering wheels all over but I tell him they look like Cheerios or I ask him how his Cheerios feel, or what he's doing wearing Cheerios.

   • 1999, Christian Petersen, Let the Day Perish: Stories, p. 8:

     They didn't find the marijuana, which was stashed in a Cheerios box sitting right on the counter.

   • 2002, Mitchell Zuckoff, Choosing Naia: A Family's Journey, p. 242:

     She said Naia had dropped some Cheerios on the floor then had picked them up and eaten them. The woman said she had asked Naia to stop, to no avail. So, she put Naia into the playpen. That way, if more Cheerios dropped, at least Naia wouldn't eat them off the floor.

   • 2004, Jennifer L. Leo, Whose Panties Are These?: More Misadventures from Funny Women on the Road, p. 47:

     His weary mother dropped off a baggie of Cheerios and then looked for an empty overhead compartment in which to put, I hoped, the baby.

   • 2004, James M. Lang, Learning Sickness: A Year with Crohn's Disease, p. 112:

     I am standing at the counter contemplating these questions, watching Madeleine stare steadfastly into her unwanted bowl of Cheerios, unwilling even to look at me.

   • 2004, Elin Hilderbrand, Summer People: A Novel, p. 49:

     Beth adored the trappings of motherhood: the pacifiers, the wooden blocks, the Cheerios underfoot, the darling little outfits...

   • 2004, Lu Hanessian, Let the Baby Drive: Navigating the Road of New Motherhood, p. p. 107:

     Besides the baby's diapers and wipes, I have his car seat, his favorite books (Jamberry; Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?; Great Day for Up), his elephant and frog teethers, familiar toys and Winnie-the-Pooh rattle socks, a baggie of Cheerios, three jars of baby food, Tupperware, a bib, a spoon, two bottles, a Baby Mozart video, and a portable playpen.

   • 2005, J. Z. Knight, A State of Mind, My Story, p. 402:

     I was in a hurry, so when three Cheerios that had become glued to the floor wouldn't come up with the mop, I threw the mop to the side and tried to pry them loose with the toe of my shoe.

• It is not clear from any of the above uses that Cheerios are a food, much less a breakfast cereal (the reference to a baby eating Cheerios off the floor does not make clear that these are something that are supposed to be eaten). bd2412 T 06:16, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

  These look like great uses of term, clearly establishing that the word has meaning beyond as a mere reference to the product itself in itself (calling Martin Heidegger). "cheerios under the couch cushions" is not about cereal, but assumes that the reader knows that it is a food often eaten and played with by children. DCDuring TALK 18:33, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

I would say this is right but it seems like something inexplicably strange is going on Trademark-wise (I live in Ireland and frequently eat Cheerios made by Nestlé not General Mills). So what's up with that?

Trademarks are country-specific. The product could very well be made by Nestlé in Ireland, if they adopted the name there before GM spread out of the U.S., or under a license. bd2412 T 17:26, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Right, at least things make sense to me now.--50 Xylophone Players talk 22:04, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Getting back on topic Cheerios are a food (cereal to be precise), just look here:[1]. It might be a good idea to try and get that image put onto Commons so we can use it.--50 Xylophone Players talk 15:24, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Physically putting images on Commons is trivial. However the problem is that this is a fair use image, which for legal reasons are explicitly prohibited from Commons. Thryduulf 19:06, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Hmm...right... If that's the case then could said image somehow be also put on Wiktionary as a fair use image?--50 Xylophone Players talk 22:04, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Again, yes in theory (only administrators are permitted to upload images to Wiktionary) - iff Wiktionary policies allow fair use images. I've not been able to find a statement on this one way or the other, however as we have a grand total of 9 images locally uploaded [2], all but one of which is a favicon or logo of a Wikimedia project, it seems clear that the de facto policy is that fair use images are not allowed (I'm about to start a Beer Parlour thread on this). So, in practice, the image cannot be used to illustrate the Wiktionary entry. Thryduulf 01:41, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

You should have told me yesterday, and I'd have taken a photo - as it is they're all eaten :). http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Yogurt_Burst_Cheerios.PNG would do. Conrad.Irwin 01:44, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Really? XD Oh well, I added the image you pointed out. :-) — This unsigned comment was added by PalkiaX50 (talk • contribs).

<IP lawyer hat on> I can think of few uses that more fully fall under the definition of fair use than including a small image of a Cheerios box in a free dictionary entry on Cheerios. <IP lawyer hat off> bd2412 T 05:59, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

While that may be true (IANAL), if it is Wiktionary's policy not to allow Fair Use images it's a bit irrelevant. Thryduulf 11:25, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Aren't we the ones who decide what Wiktionary's policy is (within the contours of the law)? bd2412 T 17:33, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

(IANAL). The Foundation has to decide ultimately because they have the liability and financial responsibility. OTOH, if someone would like to offer a suitably bonded warranty, perhaps they would consider allowing some policy flexibility. DCDuring TALK 18:33, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

See the Beer Parlour thread (where this discussion should really be happening). Yes, we as a community can choose to allow fair use if we want to. The Foundation requires all projects that allow fair use to make a formal legal statement about it. Please make any replies at Wiktionary:Beer parlour#Fair use images on Wiktionary not here. Thryduulf 19:08, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

RFV passed. Thanks for the citations, bd2412! —Ruakh_TALK 14:31, 24 May 2009 (UTC)