August 19, 2000

10:06 PM

Just what the church needs...More excellent publicity. Two churches using the quarters that Catholic schoolchildren put in the collection plate to have a legal pissing contest over who has the right to use the name of a woman who spent her entire life trying to feed poor people one cup of rice at a time. I wonder how much rice each of those quarters would buy?
posted by Skylark (4 comments total)

Of course, looking at it from Christopher Hitchen's point of view, it's even more ridiculous.
posted by fable at 11:31 PM on August 19, 2000

I don't care how many quarters it takes from the Catholic schoolchildren, this is a funny legal battle worth pursuing to the Supreme Court. Is Mother Theresa really a protectable brand name like Tough-Actin' Tinactin and Depends Undergarments? The whole thing makes me fear that my Princess Diana School for Defensive Driving will never get off the ground.
posted by rcade at 8:50 AM on August 20, 2000

Actually, that's part of the law -- US law, anyway. Famous people can protect their names. (q.v. Madonna's cybersquatting suit.) I guess the litigatable question is whether an organization that someone founded, or belonged to, has the right to use that name. But I think apart from the law the ICANN arbritration rules (which don't apply in lawsuits) would definitely favor the original organization.
posted by dhartung at 10:51 AM on August 20, 2000

Maybe her likeness will become public domain and I can market condoms with her name on them. Fight overpopulation, wear a Ma Theresa skin.
posted by skallas at 12:58 PM on August 20, 2000