but thats not the point, I see what mean and sit on that side of the fence.
No trademark or laws about it, in some regions coke means fizzy drink and not Coca Cola product.
As an example, in Russia, pampers is the generic word for dipers (or nappies), so asking for pampers in Moscow and expecting to get that brand is not going to happen.
The same applies where any brand name has become the generic word to describe the type of product, like xerox for photocopier etc.
The word "empeg' is not (yet) the generic term for a cool car based mp3 player, although maybe it should be
Personally, I think the use of coke as a generic term is a plot by Pepsi to boost thier sales and confuse the marketplace. Possibly by forcing people to use the word Pepsi just to make sure they get what they asked for