What's the difference?

[Voss's Tumor]

Today the boys were talking about how people do the thing where they buy a star for people, and it got me thinking. What's the difference between that and the Chinese company that got it's license pulled for selling real estate on the moon?

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7000917099

[Freddy's Finger]

no difference at all.

[kid afrika]

You're not actually buying a star. You simply get to name it in the international star registry.

It amounts to nothing, but it's not really a scam if you read it. They never actually imply any ownership of the star. Just that you get to name a star in their registry.

[abudabit]

The difference is one is illegal and one isn't, but both are for suckers.

[BCH]

You're not actually buying a star. You simply get to name it in the international star registry.

It amounts to nothing, but it's not really a scam if you read it. They never actually imply any ownership of the star. Just that you get to name a star in their registry.

I believe the International Star Registry is not any official scientific body either. Just a corporation set up to give stars "names" in their list. Astronomers don't start referring to your star as "Joe Smith".



See I was right.......... Here's an excerpt from this Article......

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,49345,00.html



What these people have is a 12-by-16-inch certificate from the Illinois company International Star Registry (ISR), claiming that a star had been named for them or their loved one.

They have a booklet with charts of the constellations, along with a large detailed star chart with "their" star circled in red. They also have a gap in their bank account where $48 used to be. What they don't have is any confirmation their star's new name is recognized and will be used by anyone outside International Star Registry

[Voss's Tumor]

Ok, that clears it up... kind of...

It really seems like a huge symantex web of bullshit, but I can see how the legal webof protection could be spun.

I remember hearing the ISR's commercials when they first came out. They had a phrase to describe the service (I tend to isolate disclaimers in commercials... ie, Bruce Berman screaming, "You COULD be making money within 30 days, GUARUNTEED!" Yeah mother fucker, your book could be entitled "How to Fill Out an Application at Taco Bell") Anyway, I seem to remember, "Your star will be registered in book form at the US copyright office."


Here's my question (as I know we have alot of attorneys that frequent WB): When you register a copyright, aren't you registering both the intellectual property and the label of said property? So in the example of the star, the star becomes an intellectual property, and the person's name becomes the label of said property. How can they legally copyright 100,000 names to one property? If my legal analysis is completely fucked up, please feel free to smash my face. I'd just really like to understand this.