El and other CMPL devotees: ****OT****
Montgomery Tech Week: Computer Literacy Plays the Name Game
By TSC Staff
2/4/99 6:41 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- Since late last year, Computer Literacy (CMPL:Nasdaq) has been talking about changing its name to something that incorporates more than just books.
And today, company CEO Chris MacAskill told a group of about 30 attendees at the NationsBanc Montgomery Tech Week conference that they have nailed a new name, but for now, mum's the word.
Why? He doesn't want to give anyone the opportunity to buy up the URLs that are potential misspellings of the new name. Porn sites often snatch up those misspellings, he says, citing one the example of Amazom.com, which is sponging off the fame of Amazon.com (AMZN:Nasdaq).
But MacAskill apparently doesn't know porn when he sees it. Amazom.com isn't a porn site at all, but a "quick shop" that hawks books and flowers, and is soon expanding to sell computers, software and hardware. Looks more like a leech site than a porn site.
As for any hints on Computer Literacy's new name, it's eight letters long and invokes an image of vastness and knowledge, says MacAskill. The company has been experimenting with software sales. One potential name that was killed was iKnow.com.
-- Suzanne Galante |
