Why do some Wiccans behave as if Wiccans have somehow been awarded a copyright on the word witch?

I'm not sure what you mean, or maybe I haven't come across it?

Are you referncing how Wiccans call themselves witches and get their underware in a bunch whenever someone else uses it, or when the green faced Halloween decorations come out this time of year?

Personally, I don't use the word unless I am sure that I am speaking to people who understand my meaning behind it, other Wiccans or followers of other Pagan religions (some of them anyway) and a few close friends, really. I am SO sick of having to explain the use of the word to people who do not follow my beliefs or the context behind it, so I refrain from using it in general.

As for other people, I am not a crusader to bring down green faced decorations, or have Hollywood put some sort of disclaier saying that what they are portraying aren't real witchs. Use the word, I don't care, and for the love of the Goddess, please stop spelling magic with a 'k' or worse yet, a 'j' in there for good measure. Do pagans, involved in pagan conversations really think that when someone mentions magic they are speaking about pulling a rabbit out of a hat?! I don't think so!

Sorry, kinda turned into a mini-rant there at the end! LOL

witch came way before wicca , it was used to describe people who use magic . then it morfed into an insult .
some are trying to take it back as a badge of honor . it also opend the channels to educate .
and is a great word to correct people on .
"teach them with what they know" .

I generally avoid calling myself a witch in front of ignorant people (which consists of most of society) because people immediately jump to a much different conclusion than what it really means - so I don't know why this is the case, though I wouldn't be surprised if our good friend Ms. Ravenwolf had some impact on it.

There are many Wiccans out there who believe that Wicca has existed for thousands of years and that millions of witches/Wiccans were killed during the "holocaust of the burning times". But, as I'm sure you know, most of this just comes from either being misinformed or from those claiming to be Wiccan after reading half of a book and buying a guide for "How to Perform Love Spells".

Sadly, most Wiccans are very ignorant of the history of Wicca and genuinely believe that it is an ancient pagan religion, which it is not. They're definately not the scholars of the pagan world. It is therefore no surprise that that many of them believe that Wicca and witchcraft mean the same thing and always have. Of course, witchcraft long predated Wicca and non-Wiccan witchcraft continues to exist.