Lampy Tells New Twin: Deal With Our Lawyer

Things became complicated enough when they tried spoofing themselves. But now the Lampoon is threatening to sue the Lampoon.

Actually, the Harvard Lampoon--a semi-secret social club that publishes parodies on a highly irregular schedule--won't be bringing up any charges against itself. But the elite and selective fraternal order may just take the Kennedy School Lampoon--a new group which has so far published only a send-up of the official K-School program of activities--to court for copyright infringement if the club's incipient humor magazine doesn't give back its name.

"The name 'Lampoon' is a property a lot of people have worked very hard to build up," said 'Poon lawyer John T. Williams, of the Boston firm Palmer & Dodge. "They've protected this property for a hundred years."

In a letter to K-School Lampoon editor Jeffrey Bleich, a fourth-year student there, Williams demanded that the spinoff "cease immediately any use of the word 'Lampoon' in the title of any publication." He added that unless proof of Bleich's compliance was provided promptly, he had instructions from Ma Lampy to "seek legal remedy."

Bleich said he was surprised that legal action was even being considered. "I might change my last name to Lampoon," he said. "Then we could call it' "Jeffrey Lampoon's magazine.'"

Bleich wrote to attorney Williams, "At present, the KSG Lampoon is nothing more than a group of graduate students with a vision and a serious debt." He went on to ask Williams to "go ahead and sue us any way, since we see no other way of obviating our debt."

As a last resort, Bleich said he may try to strike up a deal with the Lampy. "The National Lampoon gets to use the name by paying the Harvard Lampoon 2 percent of their profit. We'd be willing to let them pick up 2 percent of our debt any time they wanted."

Williams said that no action will be taken against the group by the very active undergraduate publication until the K-School magazine is published in mid-December. At that time, as one clever 'Poonie put it, "Our fancy-pants lawyer from New York will sue them for lunch money."