The Swedish Language Council is the semi-official authority on matters pertaining to Swedish language use. In addition to issuing recommendations on spelling and grammar, it puts out an annual list of new Swedish words. The list tends toward the playful, covering the same type of coinages that various organizations nominate for "word of the year" in the English speaking world (YOLO, hashtag, fiscal cliff). The Swedes' 2012 list included 40 new words, including "henifiera" — a word for the practice of replacing the gendered "he" and "she" pronouns in Swedish (han and hon) with the neutral "hen." 
 
 But more interestingly, for the first time ever, a word has been removed from the list. Today, Language Council director Ann Cederberg announced that they will be removing the word "ogooglebar" (ungoogleable) — thanks to pressure from Google, which objected to the council's definition of the word as "something unable to be found on a search engine." Rather than give in to the company's demands to change the definition to refer to a Google search rather than any old web search, the council has decided to drop the word entirely. 
 
 Cederberg makes clear, however, that this doesn't mean the word is gone from the language. "Who has authority over language? We do, the language users. We decide together which words should exist and how they should be defined, used and spelled. Language is the result of an ongoing democratic process. We all participate in deciding which words to let into the language by choosing the words we use. If we want 'ogooglebar' in the language we will use the word, and it is our use that will determine the meaning — not the pressure of a multinational company." 
 
 She also points out that anyone who now googles "ogooglebar" will not only find the original Language Council definition, but also all of the surrounding coverage about the decision to take the word off the list. All of it is now part of the history of the word and its usage, on record online for anyone curious about the meaning of this lovely, bouncy word, no matter which search engine they might be using. ||||| Getty Images 
 
 By Niclas Rolander 
 
 The global war over trademarks has pitted two heavyweights – Sweden and Google – against each other in a language-related spat. And, it appears the search engine has the upper hand. 
 
 Google, the increasingly pervasive search engine and Web service provider, has apparently weighed in on Sweden’s right to formalize the word “ogooglebar,” or “ungoogleable.” According to the Swedish Language Council, the government agency was pressured by Google to remove it from a list of new words because of copyright concerns. 
 
 The issue stems back to the council’s decision last year to include “ogooglebar” on the list alongside other Swedish neologisms, including “emoji” (an animated symbol used to express emotions in electronic text); “grexit” (Greece’s potential exit from the euro zone); and “kopimism” (a religious and political ideology focused on freedom of information.) 
 
 “Ogooglebar” refers to something “impossible to find on the Internet using a search engine,” according to the agency. Google sought to have the definition clarified so that it directly relates to the Google search tool, not just any search engine. 
 
 Rather than haggle over the definition, the council decided this week to remove the word from the list. But the word isn’t dying a quiet death. 
 
 “We neither have the time nor the will to pursue the outdrawn process that Google is trying to start,” the council’s president Ann Cederberg said in a harshly worded article posted on the council’s web site, under the headline “Google doesn’t own the language!” 
 
 In a statement, Google said: While Google, like many businesses, takes routine steps to protect our trademark, we are pleased that users connect the Google name with great search results.” 
 
 So who does own the language? According to the Swedes, its users. 
 
 “If we want ‘ogooglebar’ in the language, we should use it, and it is our usage which determines the meaning, not a multinational company with its means of pressure,” Ms. Cederberg said. 
 
 A look at the history of ogooglebar’s root word supports her point. The verb Google was included on the 2003 list in its Swedish form “googla,” meaning looking for information on the Internet, using Google’s search engine. People all over the word use the term Google as interchangeably with search engines as others have used the term Xerox for a copy. 
 
 However, like Xerox, Google Inc. is doing its best to counteract the transformation of its company name into a common word. And it wasn’t happy with the definition of ungoogleable. The search giant argued that the definition should refer specifically to Google and demanded a change and a disclaimer noting that Google is a registered trademark. 
 
 For companies like Google, protecting its trademark is a serious issue, and it has argued it has legitimate commercial reasons to fight the sort of generic usage which “ogooglebar” represents. 
 
 In the U.S., the company is in legal questions regarding the argument that “google” as a verb has become so common that it no longer refers to a specific search engine. If Google loses, it could find it hard to protect its trademark, and could face the nightmare scenario of following the same path as extinct or diluted trademarks like “escalator,” “aspirin” and “yo-yo.” 
 
 But Google, which makes operating systems and hardware, has to toe a delicate public relations line as it attacks an organization as seemingly harmless as the Swedish linguists. After all, the company is known for its slogan, “Don’t be evil.” 
 
 The language council received some support on Twitter, where one user called Google’s actions “stupid meddling” into the council’s affairs. Another user proposed “google dictatorship” to the list of new words for this year. 
 
 ______________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
 For the latest news and analysis, follow @wsjd. 
 
 
 
 And like us on Facebook to get our news right in your feed: 
 
 
 
 
 
 Get breaking news and personal-tech reviews delivered right to your inbox. 
 
 
 
 More from WSJ.D: And make sure to visit WSJ.D for all of our news, personal tech coverage, analysis and more, and add our XML feed to your favorite reader.
– How to describe something that can't be found in a search engine? Don't say "ungoogleable" or you'll risk the wrath of the company. The Swedish Language Council has officially removed the term from a list of newly coined words after the company objected on trademark grounds, reports the Week. (The word is actually "ogooglebar" in Swedish.) Not that the council was all that happy about the move, notes the Wall Street Journal. “We neither have the time nor the will to pursue the outdrawn process that Google is trying to start,” its president writes. "Who has authority over language? We do, the language users. If we want 'ogooglebar' in the language we will use the word, and it is our use that will determine the meaning—not the pressure of a multinational company." Click for more.