Marchionimi: nomi propri o nomi comuni? - Brand names: proper names or common nouns?

The linguistic literature concerning trade and brand names is still controversial about their categorization as proper names or common nouns. This article aims to answer this question. We first discuss the linguistic-semantic criteria used to distinguish between proper names and common nouns. On the basis of such criteria, we then defend the thesis that brand and trade names function as common nouns when they refer to a product while, given certain plausible ontological presuppositions, they function as proper names when referring to a company.