http://www.boston.com/dailynews/216/region/Parents_say_company_interested:.shtml

Parents say company interested in naming their son

By Associated Press, 8/4/2001 16:38

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (AP) Nike wouldn't just do it. Neither would McDonald's or Microsoft.

But parents Jason Black and Frances Schroeder said Saturday that eight days after the birth of their son, another consumer products company is negotiating for the right to name him.

Black said he and his wife are negotiating with the unnamed privately held company through a middleman and expect to know within a few days whether a deal will be reached.

''We are still in the midst of private negotiations with some company,'' said Black, who admitted he didn't know the name of the company.

Under New York state law, however, the couple has until Monday to put a first name on the boy's birth certificate or the boy would officially be named Baby Boy, Black said. The parents have opted to name him Zane in the meantime.

Black and Schroeder gained worldwide attention when they announced plans to offer naming rights to their then-unborn child for $500,000.

The offer, initially on two Internet auction sites, attracted attention from as far away as Australia and Colombia and drew criticism from NBC's Katie Couric and syndicated columnist Mitch Albom.

Black and Schroeder, both 32, live in a two-bedroom apartment with their daughters, Josephine, 4, and Lois, almost 2. They had hoped to use the naming rights money to buy a house and save for their children's college educations.

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001