Kathy Farretta wrote:

> I think Twain has immense cultural power, .....

> Does anyone know if it is
> trademarked--and if so, who holds it?

As I recall the story, he himself did register it.  But he had stolen it
from
a bad writer from, I think, Ohio, while he (Clemens) was in California, and
was deathly afraid for some time after starting to use it that the man would
come find and strangle him, financially or otherwise.  He did successfully
stop an actor from impersonating him later, the actor passing himself off as
the genuine product in smaller cities and county fairs in the Pacific
Northwest.  And he shut down a theatrical production based on one of his
books, produced later in San Francisco. (But then joined the actor-manager
in
re-writes, and got royalties on the huge success - for the time - the play
then enjoyed).

Sorry I can't give you chapter and verse from here in Lodz.

Richard R.