Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....

. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office

United States Patent and Trademark Office

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...

, and in many other countries. The term "Jet Ski" (or JetSki, often shortened to "Ski") is often mis-applied to all personal watercraft with pivoting handlepoles manipulated by a standing rider; these are properly known as "stand-up PWCs

Stand-up PWC

Stand-up PWC are a type of personal watercraft available since the 1970s. They have a pivoting handlepole and standing tray area that requires the operator to stand while riding instead of sitting. This is in contrast to the more frequently seen "sit-down" type of PWC. Both these terms are...

." The term is often mistakenly used when referring to WaveRunners, but WaveRunner

WaveRunner

WaveRunner is a trademarked name and type of personal water craft produced by the Yamaha Motor Company. Unique to the WaveRunner among PWCs is the spout of water that shoots into the air from the rear of the vehicle....

 is actually the name of the Yamaha line of sit-down PWCs, whereas "Jet Ski" refers to the Kawasaki line.