I AM TRIBECA, DE NIRO CLAIMS

December 31, 2006 -- NOTORIOUSLY grumpy Robert De Niro is convinced he owns the rights to the name "Tribeca" and has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the owner of the independent community arts Web site Tribeca.net.
Site members, who include artists, writers, performers and clergy, were devastated when they heard of De Niro's action.
"He's acting like a real bully," says site owner Chuck Harris. He says he registered the domain name in 1995 and finally got the site off the ground last June.
De Niro, an early pioneer downtown, opened two restaurants with Drew Nieporent, Tribeca Grill in 1990 and Nobu in 1994. The star also founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002. He now claims that Tribeca.net is an infringement of the festival's copyright and wants Harris to turn over an "accounting of all revenues" earned by the site.

I was very shocked when I first read this story because I never associated Robert DeNiro as being somewhat of a bull as he was described in the story. I found it interesting that DeNiro claims he in fact coined the term “tribeca”. I also found it interesting that he founded the site in 1995, but it just recently has been getting recognition.I also was unaware that DeNiro also started the Tribeca film festival in 2002. I feel like the creators of tribeca.net is an infringing on the festivals copyright mainly because its recognition is associated with the word and festival tribeca, which De Niro devised.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12312006/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm

By: Danielle Douglas-Jones