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 History of Attacks

Here are some of the attacks waged by EMI, stopping others from using the word entrepreneur.

EntrepreneurTV.com

Enterpreneur Clothing

"VIRTUAL ENTREPRENEUR" (June 16, 2004) EMI has filed an Opposition to the trademark "VIRTUAL ENTREPRENEUR" simply for using the word entrepreneur in their name.(read complaint PDF file)

Female Entrepreneur Magazine has been threatened with a cease and desist letter and a federal lawsuit complaint, from EMI, Read Complaint pdf - Update FEM now is out of business

Young Entrepreneur (now Y&E) was forced to change their name.
Forbes Writes:
"TEPHEN MORRIS WAS THRILLED when Entrepreneur magazine plugged his Atlanta-based business, Kids Way, three years ago. Today, he and Vice President Misty Elliott wish Entrepreneur had never heard of them.

The magazine's April 1997 article read like a free ad. It detailed how Kids Way teaches the 8-to-18 crowd to start businesses and listed contact information. "Kids Way also publishes a bimonthly newsletter, Young Entrepreneur," Entrepreneur wrote. Within 20months the 2,000-circulation newsletter grew into a glossy with 16,000 paid subscribers. Today it doesn't even exist--not in name, at least. Last year, Entrepreneur filed a lawsuit in federal court against Morris and Elliott, alleging that their use of the word "entrepreneur" violated the magazine's trademark, and asking for treble damages.

Morris didn't want to waste time on a costly defense and changed the newsletter's name to Y&E, which has hampered subscription renewals. "It seems they're going after the little guys who don't have the resources to fight them," says Elliott."
(Forbes Magazine covered this story read more)

Asian Entrepreneur (now Asian Enterprise) was forced to change their name.
Forbes Writes:
For the past six years Entrepreneur Media, the Irvine, Calif.-based parent of Entrepreneur, has protected its trademark name by going after small businesses that use the word "entrepreneur" in publications and on Web sites. Smart business, no doubt. But crippling to some of the very people it purports to help. Among the sundry victims: Asian Entrepreneur. The Diamond Bar, Calif. publication changed its name to Asian Enterprise in 1994 after receiving a cease-and-desist letter. "A legal fight would have put us under", says publisher Gelly Borromeo.

Publishing Entrepreneur (now Independent Publisher) was forced to change name.
Forbes Writes:
This Traverse City, Mich.-based outfit scrapped its print publication in 1997, and fled to the Web with a new name entirely, Independent Publisher. Says founder Jerrold Jenkins, "They just bully you."

Entrepreneur (the Game), a great game to learn about business, was forced to stop being distributed.

Entrepreneur.com - In 1994, James Borzilleri registered the name and was the first to use it for a phone business. EMI talked Network Solutions into shutting down Borzilleri's company website. Borzilleri did not want to sell the domain name and had dreams of continuing to use it. In 1999, after legal threats from EMI, Borzilleri sold entrepreneur.com to EMI. It also appears something is preventing Borzilleri from discussing what EMI did to him or revealing the details of the transaction.

EntrepreneurPR (BizStarz) has been in a five year legal battle with EMI and has been forced to change names. The case is still going and heading back to the United State Court of Appeals.

Entrepreneurs.com - According to Entrepreneurs.com, Entrepreneur Media, Inc. alleged that the name "Entrepreneurs.com" and the corresponding domain name are "confusingly similar" to its trademark and demanded that Entrepreneurs.com "immediately cease and desist from using the mark ENTREPRENEURS.COM and transfer the domain name ENTREPRENEURS.COM to Entrepreneur Media." WebMagic's legal counsel politely declined the company's request to surrender the domain, responding that Entrepreneur Media's claims were without merit. Entrepreneurs.com also has information about EMI's attacks.

Carnegie Mellon's newsletter "The Entrepreneur" - EMI thinks Carnegie Mellon's newsletter is "a flagrant infringement" on its magazine. S. Thomas Emerson, Director of the Donald H. Jones Center at Carnegie Mellon said "It appears that we are within the scope of the aggressive efforts of Entrepreneur Magazine to monopolize the word 'entrepreneur.'" Rather than fight, Carnegie Mellon folded and changed its name.
Read more from: Carnegie Mellon University's newspaper The Tartan
Copy of cease & desist letter

EntrepreneurBooks.com has been threatened by EMI but has not shut down. They have put together a great legal argument against EMI. Read here.

 

 

 

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