Darth Kling Is Displeased

When liberals turn on liberals, the results are...

...funny.

Bill Kling is sueing Algore's cable network for trademark infringement.

And as you read the story, look for the this year's nominee for Most Ominatopaeic Name Ever:

A suit filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota claims that Current TV LLC, based in San Francisco, is interfering with the trademark of MPR's music station the Current -- broadcast locally on 89.3 and 88.7 FM, but also transmitted via the Internet.

MPR estimates that 37 percent of the Current's listeners are from outside Minnesota, including many abroad, said Communications Director Jennifer Syltie Johnson.

Current TV, co-founded by Gore, is a cable/satellite channel and website (www.currenttv.com) featuring alternative news and "citizen journalism" by amateurs who send in their news and videos. It is geared to a young audience often turned off by traditional media.

The suit, filed Feb. 2, says the channel changed its name from INdTV last April -- four months after MPR applied to trademark "The Current," and 2½ months after it launched the station. MPR attorney Ernest Grumbles said the name was protected as soon as it was used for commercial purposes.

In a statement, Current TV said more than 300 U.S. businesses use the word "current" in their names. "We know of no consumers who confuse us with Minnesota Public Radio, and we can't imagine that anybody ever would."

Maybe I'll change the blog's name to "The Current", just for the free publicity.

Posted by Mitch at February 23, 2006 07:23 AM | TrackBack