Today's "To Do" List...

...for all the citizen-jounalists of LINGERIE Media (yep, we've renamed the venture and, no, we haven't done a trademark search either). I'd love to do it myself, but the Real World calls me:

1. Someone call or email Christopher Lydon at the real Open Source Media and alert him to the possible trademark infringement by The New Media Formerly Known As Pajamas. Email me results.

2. Someone call The New Media Formerly Known As Pajamas (be sure to call California, because we all know the New York office is a minimum wage telephone jockey in a boiler room) and ask if Pajamas/Open Source Media is affiliated with Christopher Lydon's Open Source Media. Email me results.

3. Send me links to any live-blogging, etc. about the Launch Event. Pictures of any of the 230 bloggers who got stiffed punching out Roger would be appreciated.

4. Pictures of venture capitalists' faces when they're informed Roger fucked up the trademark search on the name Open Source Media would really be appreciated.

See you all tonight... It's going to be a long post-mortem, I'm sure.

Note: As much as I liked Ponzi Media, I really think The New Media Formerly Know As Pajamas is the most appropriate name for this turkey. Then again, maybe they should have named it Duh and saved everyone some trouble.

Suggestion: For any of you combative types who are going to be at the Launch Event, try walking around the room introducing yourself as "Dennis From Ohio" or "Dennis From Westerville". Only Roger and Charles know what I look like. This would be really fun to try on Koshland or Chernick if they are there. I'll put up the bail money.

Comments

[richard mcenroe]

Here's a question that worries me (note, I speak from a position of invincible ignorance here, not having seen the contracts being offered the participating bloggers):

Who owns the blogs? What actual stake, if any, does the Entity Currently Known As Open Source Media have in the blogs themselves? What proprietary claim can it make on the titles and services of the blogs and bloggers?

The usual routine with the vast majority of dot-com start-ups is, even if they don't crash and burn on take-off, the venture capitalists wind up pushing the founders out of their controlling position in the firm.

Are we at risk down the line of seeing InstaPundit™ (A wholly-owned subsidiary of CashCO, BVI Ltd)?

I can't imagine someone like Glenn Reynolds taking a deal like that, but I can't imagine a multimillion dollar company not doing a trademark search on their own name, either.

[richard mcenroe]

I shouldn't say this, but you know me, and it's gonna nag me all day if I don't...

ahem

"Is it any wonder a couple of rightwing bloggers turned out to be bush league...?"

I'm here til Thursday. Try the veal.

[PeterUK]

Since the blogs depend on the talent of the individuals,whilst the blog name does have a saleable value,what is to stop Reynolds Glenn starting up as Punditinsta or some such?

[Elmo]

At the Copa .... Copacabana .... the hottest spot north of

[dan]

I've been listening to their live audio feed. One thing that strikes me is how uncomfortable Roger seems. Also, how corny his rhetoric is. Everything is a revolution, everyone a genius. Why put yourself through all this. I predict the big moneymaker is going to be Roger's shrink. And lawyers.

Also: what a boring website. It seems to be the anti-blog. What a bother. How uninteresting. How do you participate? Dull, dull, dull. Warmed over AP/UPI.

[Guesst]

Spero News contacted PM with regard to the organization's economic model. Unfortunately, PM said "several of these questions refer to information that won't be released publicly until the Nov. 16 launch in New York, where we are unveiling our core plans and goals."

That said, PM did say that "readers can expect a one-stop easy access to the best of the blogosphere. You might think of our new portal, (name, logo, look all to be unveiled Nov. 16) as something akin to the TV Guide in the sense that it is a way for the public -- who by and large don't know what blogging is all about -- to easily enter the system and access content that interests them."

"We'll have a Directory to blog sites that we have read and accepted into the system, from tiny to huge ones, covering a large range of topics. Bloggers will keep their own sites, and we will not interfere in any way with their content. We have already vetted all of our blogs to make sure they are high-quality, and will continue to do that as we add more and more sites to our Directory," PM said in an email.

"We are keeping the entire project very organic to the existing blogosphere..

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=31&idsub=129&id=2136

[Elmo]

Medals to anyone who does watch the live stream (or listen .... or read)

[Morgan]

From rogerlsimon.com, June 13th request for names for the portal (submission #2):

"OpenSourceNetwork

I hope Charles is ready to register these as good ones pop up. Buying a good name back can be expensive.

Posted by: Rick Ballard at June 13, 2005 07:59 AM"

[Little Jimmy OSMond]

The New Media Formerly Known As Pajamas,formerly known as Open Source,To be Announced.
TBA Media

[Morgan]

What a crowded place cyberspace has become.

http://www.tbamedia.com/

[Pinko Punko]

I can't believe they didn't Google their stupid choice to see if it was associated with anything. also, why spend a year on stupid buzz on one name and then change it? Guess what dudes, these guys are stupid in more than one venue.

[Guesst]

From OSM dot org:

Charles and Roger are listed as "Founders" of OSM Media (notice that's Open Source Media Media) LLC (notice it's an LLC).

They list 8 "staff" in addition to themselves.

Charles is CTO, Roger is CEO.

Some legal mumbo jumbo about indemnifying them blablah from blabla.

They're governed under the laws of the State of Delaware. (Delaware!)They have a prominent link for people to Advertise with them, and more gobbledegook about what paying customers agree to once their check clears.

They reserve the right to start charging for use of their site in the future, with notice.

More blabla about site content being copyrighted.

Violators will be persecuted.

[Steven Den Beste]

It's extremely common for companies to incorporate in Delaware. Back when I was young, the privately owned bus company in Portland, OR was incorporated in Delaware.

This suggests they actually are working with a lawyer. It's really surprising they didn't consult him about the trademark. (Or else they did and he blew it.)

[DennisThePeasant]

Actually, I'd be surprised if they are working with a lawyer. You can get a Delaware incorporation via various internet companies on the cheap. Roger had mentioned doing it when I was still part of that turkey.

[LGF Watch]

Meanwhile, at PowerLine...

*crickets*

[M. Simon]

I like Silk Pajamas Media.

SPM - you can google it.

[M. Simon]

BTW one of the google results is for a song: South Park Mexican.

[Guesst]

Notice they are OSM Media, not OSM.

Open Source Media Media.

Isn't Delaware east of the Mississippi?

[Pinko Punko]

I love how they don't know how to abbreviate. OSM Media. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Oh man, thank God nobody every invented a bookmark, or RSS feeds. OSM Media really fills a needed niche. Nice of them to copy AOL 3.0

[Pinko Punko]

Did I mention Open Source Media is the plan? We be google bombing!

[Some Shmoe]

Okay, are they serious? OSM goes live...with syndicated DoubleClick flash ads? I guess this way they can look like they have advertisers when they don't.

[Seth Finkelstein]

The OSM trademark application

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78738751

has a lawyer listed:

Yablok, Nina
suite 155 1313 N. Miltpias Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
United States

The name doesn't mean anything to me, but it might to someone else.

[Dan]

See seems to be the OSM blogger Ed Driscoll's wife.

[richard mcenroe]

Milpitas? Is she a lawyer between pickin' seasons?

If you want to know everything there is to know about Milpitas, check out the movie The Milpitas Monster. The town is obviously right on the throbbing artery of the legal profession...

[richard mcenroe]

Now that you've renamed your venture, Dennis, what are you going to call your new portal? "Britches?"