Re: Question About Names

From: Buford Terrell <terrell[_at_]gateway.stcl.edu>
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 15:51:19 -0600

Holly Huckeba <huckeba[_at_]nevada.edu> wrote:
>
> I haven't been able to find an answer to this question in my own
> library so I'm throwing it out to the group. Any help you can provide
> me is appreciated. My question: What rights does a person have to
> their own first and last name? I would think that as long as I'm using
> another person's name not to impersonate them or make money from it's
> use it would be okay. I need more information on this issue. Thanks.

Are you appropriating their name or their identity? There are lots of John Joness out there, and as long as no fraud is involved, you can use any name you choose. If, however, you are trying to be a particular John Jones, then there could be lots of problems.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Buford C. Terrell                       1303 San Jacinto Street
Professor of Law                              Houston, TX 77002
South Texas College of Law                voice   (713)646-1857
terrell[_at_]stcl.edu                            fax   (713)646-1766

                 WARNING: Objects in your future are
                          closer than they appear

[T]he strength of our liberty depends on the chaos and cacophony of the unfettered speech the First Amendment protects."

                            --ACLU v. Reno
Received on Thu Oct 31 1996 - 21:23:41 GMT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0 : Mon Mar 26 2007 - 00:35:22 GMT