The New York Times threatens to sue the Huffington Post over ‘Parentlode’

The Cutline

The New York Times has threatened to sue the Huffington Post over the name of a new section of the site--called Parentlode--launched Monday by Lisa Belkin, the longtime Times reporter who last month to join Arianna's huddled masses at AOL.

The problem, the Times claims, is that "Parentlode" sounds too much like "Motherlode," the blog Belkin launched three years ago while she was at the paper.

"While we are flattered by your focus on our blog and your apparent fondness for its name, we obviously cannot permit you to adopt a name whose sole purpose is to create an association in the minds of readers with our 'Motherlode' blog," Times Co. lawyer Richard Samson wrote in a cease and desist letter obtained by Women's Wear Daily. "This is a transparent attempt to capitalize on the fame and reputation of the original nytimes.com blog, and constitutes an obvious infringement of The Times' rights under U.S. Trademark law."

When contacted by Yahoo News, Huffington Post spokesman Mario Ruiz declined to comment on the threatening letter.

In her initial post on Parentlode, Belkin explained why she chose a new name for her column:

For three years I have fielded reader emails about how "Motherlode" doesn't really fit in an era when fathers are every bit the parent. It also doesn't fit a blog that so regularly champions equality, and new paradigms, nor one that is written by a writer who is exquisitely aware of the power of words. For three years I have answered those emails by saying that a brand is a brand, and the Times wasn't inclined to change this one, but if I were choosing today I would choose something more inclusive. Seems I AM choosing today. So welcome to "Parentlode."

It would also seem that Belkin didn't have a choice, since the Times had rights to the Motherlode trademark. According to the Times' letter, the paper trademarked the Motherlode name on Monday, though U.S. copyright law states that those rights begin accruing at the time of first use.

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