S.F. MAGAZINE IN A DAYS OVER CBS THREAT

The publisher of a San Francisco magazine put together on weekends, and therefore called 48HR Magazine, has agreed to change the name of the magazine after receiving warning letters from CBS attorneys that their publication violates CBS’s trademark on 48 Hours, the long-running CBS news magazine that now calls itself 48 Hours Mysteries. The problem is, according to Mat Honan, one of the creators of the magazine, CBS wants more than simply a name change. As reported by TheBusinessInsider website, Honan posted the following message on Twitter last Friday: “CBS is going to try to f*ck us pretty hard. Horrible to see a huge, dying media property kill something you love for no goddamn reason.” CBS, he said, wants to be able to approve any new title for the magazine and wants Honan to hand over the URL to the magazine, which would prevent it from redirecting traffic to a new site. “I think CBS is being unreasonable,” Honan told TheBusinessInsider. Asked about the controversy by TVNewser.com, a CBS spokesperson said, “After some productive discussions, the other side has seen the error of their ways and they have agreed to vacate the use of our trademark name.” She then quipped, “Rumor has it that they will now call themselves ‘The New York Times Sunday Magazine,’ and we have no problem with that.”