Leonardo/ISAST News: The Newsletter of the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology

Leonardo Under Legal Attack! Many readers of Leonardo and Web site visitors to Leonardo On-Line will be aware that the Leonardo network is currently being sued by Transasia Corporation in France for trademark infringement. Transasia claims to have recently trademarked in France the names Leonardo, Leonardo Finance, Leonardo Partners, Leonardo Invest and Leonardo Experts. The suit asks that the Association Leonardo be forbidden from using the word “Leonardo” in its Web site projects or any other products or services. Thanks to the work of Karen O’Rourke in France, who is heading our Legal Defense Committee, and to the work of the IRIS group and many of you, we have received over 3000 e-mails and letters of support from many corners of the globe. In this issue we continue to publish selected letters from our supporters. Readers who would like to add to this growing body of support for Leonardo are invited to send letters to isast@sfsu.edu. Other Ways You Can Help• A Leonardo Legal Defense Fund has been established. Donations may be sent to Leonardo , c/o ISAST, 425 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, U.S.A. Leonardo/ISAST is a U.S. nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax-deductible in the U.S. Make checks payable to Leonardo/ISAST.• Join the Leonardo Network for $35: http://mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo/members.html.• Subscribe to the Leonardo Journals for $72: http://mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo/order.html.• Add your name to our list of supporters. Send e-mail to isast@sfsu.edu.• Buy a Leonardo Defense T-Shirt: http://www.zero23.com/leo/leo.htm. For more information please visit Leonardo On-Line http://mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo. Leonardo/ISAST News The Newsletter of the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology© 2000 ISAST LEONARDO, Vol. 33, No. 5, pp. 447–450, 2000 447 Leonardo/ISAST News Coordinator: Andrea Blum. E-mail: isast@well.com. 448 Leonardo / ISAST News Letters of Support Received 7 July 2000 I remember my first visit in Paris, when I met Frank Malina. He told me about his idea to intensify the connections between art, science and technology, he showed me his art machines and he was also interested in my activities in the field of Experimental Aesthetics—but first of all he described his project of a new type of art journal that should have the name of the genius Leonardo —the first artist, scientist and engineer in one person. I remember the pain and the enthusiasm of all his collaborators to realize the project in the following years, the difficulties in producing the journal on the market , in finding all the people in the world interested in the synergy of Art-ScienceTechnology and a stable basis for a continuous publication, and the long time it has taken for Roger to find the right way. So I could not believe that a corporation can ignore all these efforts and claim the name “Leonardo.” For me he is the general property of mankind, as a symbol for a unique cultural achievement and, in recent decades, for the journal representing the best that our society can produce. I hope it is possible to resist the grip of commercial interests and hold the name as a sign that even today it is possible to work with idealism for the conservation and progress of culture. —Herbert W. Franke Artist Germany Received 5 July 2000 I was greatly disturbed when informed about the trademark infringement claim lawsuit initiated by Transasia Corporation against Leonardo/ISAST. As an associate member of ISAST since 1986, I regard that step of Transasia Corporation as a grossly amoral attempt to profit from the worldwide popularity of Leonardo/ISAST. During past years of my association with ISAST I had many opportunities to present the Leonardo/ISAST journal to other artists, to college students, or friends interested in issues related to arts or sciences. Regardless of the country where our meeting took place, whether in the U.S., Canada , the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic or in other places, a very keen, positive debate on the editorial quality and professionalism of the content of...