Thems usually fighting words. I've seen all sorts of interpretations of "what John means" on these forums.
What we usually confront here on DNForum is that "to trademark" is a verb referring to what one does at the USPTO.
As a verb, "trademark" is to affix one's mark to one's goods or services.
Using "to trademark" in the sense of "to obtain
registration of one's trademark" tends to perpetuate the common misconception here that one may have perfectly enforcible rights absent federal registration. Now, this does not apply in all countries, as some countries do not have common law rights. But, I try to encourage folks from using "to trademark" to refer to how one obtains rights in a mark.