Hi, folks. I was stunned to learn recently that there is another Listserv list using the same name as my list, WMST-L. The copycat list, located at TAMVM1.TAMU.EDU, claims like my list to be about Women's Studies. I have no idea when this copycat list came into being. I make it my business to know about women-related e-mail lists, ESPECIALLY those having to do with Women's Studies, and I never heard of it until now. It has no connection to the REAL WMST-L, which has been at UMDD.UMD.EDU since 1991. The REAL WMST-L has more than 4000 subscribers, while the copycat list currently has 38. My first question is, is it permissible for a list simply to appropriate the name of an existing list? I can imagine such things happening among lists using different listserving software, but both the real and the copycat WMST-L run on Listserv and both appear in Catalyst (though, for reasons I don't fully understand, only the copycat list currently appears in Liszt--I'm in the process of trying to change that.) How will people who do a search in Liszt (the largest search engine for lists, and the one best known by the general public) know which list is which? And what's to stop other lists from forming with the same name? The possibilities for needless confusion are substantial. There's no question about which list had the name first. The real [log in to unmask] has existed under that name and domain since 1991. And when I started the list back in 1991, I did a thorough search to be sure no other list existed with the same name. I haven't yet contacted the listowner of the copycat list--I wanted first to know what the procedures are concerning duplication of list names. I'd be most grateful for any information or advice knowledgeable listowners can provide. Many thanks. Joan Korenman ************************************************************************* * Joan Korenman, Director, Women's Studies [log in to unmask] * * University of Maryland Baltimore County * * http://www.umbc.edu/wmst/ * * * * The only person to have everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe * *************************************************************************