| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
LA man says he was first to use 21st Century name
Wednesday June 18, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) Attorneys for 21st Century Insurance have filed a lawsuit against a business owner who claims he started using the same name for his business .
Attorneys for the insurance group that was once known as 20th Century sued Alfred Bunmi George in January, two months after a lawyer sent a letter asking him to stop using the name.
On Monday, George filed a counterclaim in federal court, asking a judge to have 21st Century barred from using the name in Los Angeles County. George's attorney, Jonathan Stein, said he could seek as much as $30 million in royalties for the 21st Century name.
George claims he started using the name 21st Century Insurance and Financial Services for his business in 1990 allegedly nine years before the insurance giant 20th Century changed its name to 21st Century Insurance Group.
Scott Edelman, who represent the corporation, said the name was actually registered with the state of California in 1988. The company also had a trademark on the name, court documents show.
George maintains that he was using the name in Los Angeles County before the corporation.
``I'm a hardworking black businessman,'' he said. ``If they take my name they are robbing me of my dignity, reputation and hard work.''
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