greenber@timeinc.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg) (07/31/85)
From _Omni_ , August '85: For as long as Frederick Koch can remember, people have been mispronouncing his last name. They'd say "Kotch" or "Coe" and - with his patience growing ever thinner - he would always correct them. "Coke," he would tell them, "Coke is it" Finally, last November, in what must have been a sudden brainstorm, Koch decided to change his name and do away with the phonetic headache that had been plaguing him all his life. And change his name he did - to "Coke Is It". Enter the Coca Cola Company, which objected to the use of the trademark. There was a series of appeals, and counterappeals. A stormy legal battle looked imminent. Lawyers exchanged harsh words. Koch grew upset. Then a victory of sorts - for the little guy. The Coca Cola Company allowed Koch to keep his new name, but they barred him from using it commercially. Koch - or, rather, Coke Is It - accepted the terms, but none too happily. A self-proclaimed champion of "the poor, the weak, and the downtrodden", Coke Is It felt that his experience with the Coca Cola Company was just another example of the little guy getting the short end of the stick. "Corporations crush individuals," he says, "and I mean now to make that the issue. I'm mad enough to fight this thing through to the bitter end." For Coke Is It, that may mean using his name commercially. After all, as he sees it, it's the only name he's got. Asked if the new name had created any difficulties other than the legal one, Coke Is It paused before answering. "Well," he finally said, "some people have been calling me Mr. It" -- ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ross M. Greenberg @ Time Inc, New York --------->{vax135 | ihnp4}!timeinc!greenber<--------- I highly doubt that Time Inc. would make me their spokesperson. ---- "I saw _Lassie_. It took me four shows to figure out why the hairy kid never spoke. I mean, he could roll over and all that, but did that deserve a series?"