STORY:
Pay Up For Y2K Trademark

Atlanta businessman owns Y2K trademark wants users to pay fees

According to a story appearing in Wired Magazine, an Atlanta-based consultant has registered "Y2K" as a trademark and says that anyone using it for financial services must dump it, negotiate a licensing fee, or face legal action.

Jeff Buhl insists he is trying to protect his intellectual property, not stop people from discussing the millennium bug. But if someone uses it as a marketing term, or a web site name offering investment research, then Buhl wants to be paid.

Buhl's company, Y2K Investments, owns "Y2K" when it is used with "financial investment and investment research services in the field of real estate, securities, and mutual funds."

The story says he applied for the service mark in June 1997. When he received his registration from the US Patent and Trademark Office last February, he began sending out dozens of threatening legal letters. Recipients range from companies that have five people working for them to multibillion-dollar companies.

Most rejected the claim, according to Buhl, saying that "Y2K" is a generic term like "millennium" and "bug." He said he is considering taking legal action within the next four weeks if violators don't heed his warnings.

One of Buhl's company's sites, Y2Ktrademark.com, invites visitors to write in about purchasing a license to use "Y2K."

Source: Wired

DATE: 6/22/99

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