Leica - the name ?

It has been stated for so long that the name Leica comes from LEItz

CAmera, but does it?

I've recently read a very convincing article that says something else.

Leitz always had wierd codings for their early equipment, up to about

the 50,s . Names such as Mooly are fairly well known.

The Leitz A type camera had the coding Leane, and a kit of that camera

with lens , case and cassettes had the code LEICA applied!, and it

appears the name stuck and was used as a generic term for Leitz's

cameras.

Is this true?

Regards

Bruno

The original plan was to call it the Leca. There is some early promotional

material had been produced*. Apparently Leca was trademarked/

copyrighted** by someone else so they switched it to Leica.

Code word "LEICA" (1925) was for camera ands three magazines in a brown

leather bag with shoulder strap and handle*.

*Source: Laney

** I remember reading it but I cannot remmeber where!

Here is a translation of part of Günter Osterloh's book (4th edition, 1996, page 239; 5th edition, 2002, page 317; both in German):

<p>[... in 1924/25 the tradename Leica had been applied for.] That first application attempt, was well as the second one (1930) were however refused. The third application finally got the registration through in 1937 that they wanted, and thus the the patented tradename too. This newly coined word, which soon became known worldwide and which was easy to pronounce in any language, was derived from the concept <b>Lei</b>tz-<b>Ca</b>mera.

<p>More on the fifth edition maybe later.

Thanks for your replies, but Michael, the use of the word Leica as a product code(in 1925 ) for the A camera etc, is a fact, and aren't those codes trademarked? I would have thought that Leitz would already have the 'rights' to the use of the name, and therefore why the problem with registration?

Many thanks

Bruno

Bruno, the use of the word Leica as a product code was not trademarked. I asked our outstanding Leica Information Service (by e-mail) about this, and got an instant reply. They informed me that the following was mentioned in a (German) book now out of print. Here's my English translation:

After Leitz had decided on a serial production, they began with their manufacture of assembly tools, and a year after that, their model I was on the market. The first cameras which left the plant had the name of the manufacturer. As we now know, the name "Lilliput", which Barnack had desired, could not be used because it had already been taken over by Ernemann. Leitz itself suggested the name "Barnack-Kamera", but Barnack was not well known outside of Wetzlar, and was, moreover, in some languages hard to pronounce. Thereafter, the name "Leca" was discussed. Now, although this name appeared to be easy to pronounce in all languages, it still somehow lacked a nice sound, pleasing to the ear. Apart from that, the name Leca was just too similar to that of Krauss's (another manufacturer's) camera "EKA" -- above all in French, where after the addition of their definite article you'd now have "l'EKA". Via insertion of the letter "i" the name "Leica" was finally "found".