What are some examples of cases where companies have failed to protect their brand names/image?

One example is SPAM as it is now ridiculed and seen as a negative thing. What are others like this?What are some examples of cases where companies have failed to protect their brand names/image?
Hey, it's not like Spam was ever a high class product to begin with.What are some examples of cases where companies have failed to protect their brand names/image?
One of the most famous is the ';walking fingers'; logo of the Yellow Pages used by AT %26amp; T in the 1960's to promote the phrase, ';let your fingers do the walking.'; But they never trademarked the logo and now it is used by every Yellow Page publisher around the world.
The ones that come to mind first are Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. For decades these companies ruled the automotive world but they got sloppy. In the 1970's and 80's they were challenged by the small, inexpensive, but extremely well build Asian cars one the low end and the pricey, luxury cars from Europe at the high end. The domestics became known for shoddy workmanship, boring designs, and poor materials. Over the past few years they have begun producing excellent products again but their brands have lost their shine and allure.





A more interesting case study is Harley Davidson. In the 50's and 60's it was know as an outlaw bike and it had a romance all its own. For a while it was owned by a conglomerate who tried all the usual brand extension stuff and everntually the brand lost all of its value. Of course, in the past 15 years it has regained its former glory by focusing on classic lines, extreme quality, and excellent execution. Tarnished brands CAN BE polished to a high gloss shine!
Kleenex and Xerox come to mind. People offer a Kleenex instead of a facial tissue or people are told to make a Xerox instead of a photocopy.
Actually, Hormel could not protect the word SPAM as it was not used as a comparison for another food product. There can also be nothing done when a brand name become synonymous with the product itself ala Xerox, linoleum and Kleenex. The most famous example of not protecting your trademarks is the American Movie Association's (they rate the movies for content) lack of protecting their rating system in the early 70's. The porn industry high-jacked the X rating and made it the standard for pornography forcing the AMA to refocus their efforts and develop the rating A or AO for Adults Only.