Google has been successful in its efforts to make the phrase “ungoogleable”, well, um, effectively ‘ungoogleable’ in the Swedish language, forcing that country’s language officials to drop the term from its most recently published list of Swedish words.

The unlikely spat came about following our Swedish friend’s recognition that not everything can be found so easily on the world’s favorite search engine, which led to the term “ungoogleable” (which translates as “ogooglebar” in the Swedish language) entering everyday usage.

To reflect the new word’s morphing into every day usage, Sweden’s Language Council originally decided to include the phrase in the new edition of its Swedish dictionary, which is updated every year like the Oxford English dictionary and other variants. But the moment it learned of the inclusion, Google took offense to the Swede’s definition of the term. The company insisted that not only should the dictionary entry reflect the fact that “Google” is a registered trademark, but also that it should only refer to something not searchable on Google itself, as opposed to any old search engine.

Not surprisingly, the Swedes reacted angrily to Google’s assertions, accusing the web giant of trying to dictate their own language to them.

“Google has wooed [the] Language Council to amend the definition of the word ogooglebar on the new order list,” said the council.

“Today we instead delete the word and mark … our displeasure with Google’s attempt to control the language.”

Sweden’s language council last updated its official list of Swedish words in December, when it included the phrase “ungoogleable” for the first time. Google quickly found out about the word’s inclusion on the list, voicing its objections and insisting that the definition reference the word as a trademark instead. However, the Swedes refused to do so, arguing that the list is meant to reflect the language itself and how it’s constantly evolving – and if the language happens to incorporate so-called trademarked words, so be it.

“No one can define words which must be in the language. Language development [does] not care about brand protection,” insisted the council in its statement.

Unfortunately for them, Google was on the verge of getting all heavy and calling the lawyers in – a process that the Swedish decided simply wasn’t worth the effort.

“We have neither the time nor the inclination to pursue the lengthy process that Google is trying to launch. Nor do we compromise and change the definition of ogooglebar [to what] the company wants. It would go against our principles.”

The council concludes its statement by insisting that it has been the moral victor in this struggle, saying that while it’s taking “ungoogleable” off the official list, the phrase itself will continue to live on in everyday usage.

From Google’s perspective, it’s understandable that the firm might want to protect its brand identity, but the company is running the risk of alienating consumers as it becomes ever more belligerent in its efforts to get its own way.

Undoubtedly, Google must have concerns that its name will ultimately become a ‘diluted’ trademark like “Xerox”, “Aspirin” or even “Escalator” (yes, it was a brand!). But the fact of the matter is, Google has already become so pervasive that the term is used by speakers of hundreds of languages all over the world to mean ‘searching for something online’, irrespective of the search engine used. What’s more, Google is probably overestimating the risk of harm when one considers that its brand is already one of the most powerful the world has ever seen.

Considering the damage that this kind of behavior (i.e. bullying a harmless organization like Sweden’s Language Council into submission) does to its image, Google, for its own good, really ought to learn to lay-off of off people at times.

Main image via West Salem Foursquare (Flickr.com)