DanKennedy.net | Metro Boston
Occupy Boston hopes to raise $8,000 through Kickstarter to launch an Occupy Boston Globe newspaper. (There was $3,636 pledged at last look.) Steve Annear reports the Globe has told the group to stop using its name and nameplate. “We do not condone the use of our trademark-protected name and logo by any organization,” says a Globe spokesman. Veteran Boston press critic Dan Kennedy contends Occupy Boston can’t get in trouble for calling its paper Occupy Boston Globe:
The Globe’s trademark prevents a would-be competitor from coming in and starting a newspaper called the Boston Globe. By contrast, the name “Occupy Boston Globe” is a parody of and a commentary on the Globe and on the media in general, expression that is protected by the First Amendment. A major consideration in trademark cases is whether readers might confuse the parody with the original. There doesn’t seem to be much chance of that.
In other Boston Globe news, the paper is launching its subscription-only website on Wednesday. As part of the transition, BostonGlobe.com will be shut down from noon today until 5 a.m. tomorrow. || Earlier: Key things to know about the new site.
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