Do you play table tennis or ping-pong?

Have you ever wondered why there are two names? The game was invented by the Victorian English, and according to Wikipedia the name “ping-pong” was used by most people before English manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in 1901.

The name “Ping-Pong” then came to be used for the game played by the rather expensive Jaques ping pong equipment, with other manufacturers calling theirs table tennis. A similar situation came to exist in the United States where Jaques sold the rights to the “Ping-Pong” name to Parker Brothers.

So every time you write down “ping-pong” for your Community Club poster, Parker Brothers might sue you for trademark infringement.

I recall using the term “ping-pong” growing up. How about you?