Friday, June 13, 2003 :::
Cable network TNN has planned to change its name to "Spike TV", but Spike Lee just got an injunction. Writes the judge:
"Contrary to defendants' position, the court is of the opinion that in the age of mass communication, a celebrity can in fact establish a vested right in the use of only their first name or a surname," the judge writes. "There are many celebrities that are so recognized, including Cher, Madonna, Sting and Liza."
[Judge] Tolub's decision compared TNN's possible name change to a network calling a program the "Cronkite News Hour." This ignores the other figures, public and otherwise, with the name "Spike" as well as the word's proactive use as both a noun and a verb. Walter Cronkite is, without too much question, the highest-profile person of that appellation, and his last name is rarely, if ever, used as a verb or as a noun.
I agree with the guy writing this. Some people are known by a single name, to the extent that said name is immediately associated with them. When I hear the word "spike", I don't think of a second-rate movie producer/director, I think of a character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, something a football player does with a ball, and a big nail, in that order.
I suspect most people are less familiar with Buffy than I, but I don't think most will connect "Spike TV" with Spike Lee, and (I don't know whether or not this is legally relevant) I don't think TNN meant them to. If their plan was to run movies where most black characters are jerks and all white characters are idiots, he might have a better case. Link from fark.com.
::: posted by Steven at 5:36 PM
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