Naming Rights at Center of Entrepreneurs' Dispute

 

July 5, 2004 -- For every entrepreneur, there is no bigger nightmare than finding out that, halfway through the evolution of an idea into a product or company, a key component to the rest of the process is unavailable - because it is in use by another entrepreneur with a similar product.

For two entrepreneurs in Boston, a magazine called 02138 - the zip code for Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Harvard University is located -- is at the center of such a struggle. As the Boston Globe first reported, Bom Kim, a recent Harvard grad, and Howard Dinin, a media and advertising executive, are each backing a magazine by that name.

The dispute over the name does not involve lawsuits yet. Kim has filed a trademark application and lined up legal support in case of such developments. Dinin appears not to have taken any steps to lay legal claim to the name, and told the Globe he would perhaps even consider changing it.

For each entrepreneur, the name is key to its product, although the concepts for each are dissimilar. Kim envisions a free publication with coverage of Harvard alums in the news. Dinin plans to launch a general interest, monthly publication targeting readers living in or near 02138.

*An earlier version of this story indicated that Mr. Dinin had not taken any steps to lay legal claim to the name. It remains unclear whether that has or has not taken place.