What’s in a name? Apparently quite a lot, when it comes to opera companies.
Two groups bid more than $1 million this week to buy the name and assets of the bankrupt New York City Opera — but one made its bid in court using a name that already belongs to another small New York opera company. The small company, startled to see its name arise in court, demanded Friday that “use of this name must cease and desist immediately.”
The confusion stems from a bid by Gene Kaufman, an architect, who offered $1.5 million to buy the name and assets of City Opera and who called his group Opera New York. But there was a hitch: there is already a small company named Opera New York, and its president, Judith Fredricks, began hearing from people wondering if it was trying to buy the City Opera name.
“We were stunned,” said Ms. Fredricks, who noted that her company’s name had been registered with the New York Secretary of State since 1984. In recent years, her group, which has a website, www.operany.com, has performed operas in cabaret settings, accompanied by piano.
A lawyer for Mr. Kaufman, Arthur Steinberg, said in a statement that “we will resolve the issue by Monday.”
The board of the bankrupt City Opera prefers another group, called NYCO Renaissance, which bid $1.25 million — setting the stage for a potential showdown in Federal Bankruptcy Court. That group registered its name with the New York Secretary of State in November.