the name "ping-pong" was in wide use before the british manufacturer j. jaques &amp; son ltd coined the term in 1901. the name "ping-pong" then came to describe the game played using the rather expensive equipment, jaques provided, with other manufacturers calling it table tennis. a similar situation arose in the united states, where jaques sold the rights to the "ping-pong" name to parker brothers. parker brothers then enforced its trademark for the term in the 1920's making the various associations change their names to "table tennis" instead of the more common, but trademarked, name.