Indeed, the products are among the nation's best-known brands, and they are important icons for the manufacturers.

Bose may be the best-known brand in this category, but several manufacturers make similar products.

Symantec already has one of the best-known brands in the software business with Norton.

Burton is the country's, perhaps the world's, best-known brand of snowboarding equipment and clothing.

In so doing it would become one of Britain's best-known brands.

The speculation will now turn to who will succeed him in running one of the world's best-known brands.

Doritos is now one of the best-known brands in the world; last year global sales were nearly $5 billion.

That should help the company defend its turf against competitors, which have been attacking many of the company's best-known brands.

At risk is the reputation of the world's best-known brand.

That could mean more pain in 2004, or the long-awaited revival of Japan's best-known brand.