[Wikipedia-l] Trademarks and user names

Wed May 7 23:56:30 UTC 2003

[Hopefully I will now manage to forward this reply to the _right_ 
mailing list - my first attempt to contribute to the Wiki mailing lists 
wasn't too successful!]

In message <20030507205434.GD5102 at jeluf.mine.nu>, Jens Frank 
<JeLuF=Mmb7MZpHnFY at public.gmane.org> writes
>Hello,
>
>A new user registered a few days ago using the name "Harry Potter".
>Warner Bros and JK Rowling have a trademark registered for this
>name.
>
>On the new users talk page ( 
>http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk%3AHarry_Potter ),
>MammaBaer posted some concerns about the user name and its legal
>status. I'm not experienced in trademark law, so I post this to
>the list.
>
>Is the use of a trademarked name as a username problematic?

I wouldn't have thought so if he doesn't try to engage in wizardry. It
may conceivably even be his real name. Even as apparently unusual a name
(in an English-language context) as my own is not unique, as I know I
have had a rugby-playing namesake which used to result in some strange
newspaper headlines appearing on the office noticeboard on a Monday
morning! :)

Arwel Parry