Plumbing Companies Fight Over Number, ‘867-5309′
Over two decades ago one-hit wonder band, Tommy Tutone made the hit song ‘867-5309,’ which was sung everywhere about a girl named Jenny. And it is still talked about, at least with plumbers that is. Two plumbing companies took their argument to court, complaining that one had rights of the number first before the other.
Gem Plumbing and Heating of Lincoln, Rhode Island attain the number when the song was still popular in the early 80s after Brown University gave their ownership of 867-5309 to the company, after being fed up of pranksters dialing the number. Gem Plumbing has access to the number not only in Rhode Island, but in Massachusetts as well, under two different area codes.
Another plumbing service, Clockwork Home Services uses 867-5309 as a free toll number in New England and stated that a company could only legally register a ‘vanity’ number like 1-800-FLOWERS. But Gem Plumbing was ruled in favor after a Boston federal judge stripped Clockwork use of the number this week in both Massachusetts and Boston. In the meantime the fight is on, as Clockwork’s lawyer will not stop until they won the case. If Tommy Heath was the judge, he would prefer that neither have use of the number.
Heath told the Boston Globe, It’s ridiculous, “If I wanted to get into it, I could probably take the number away from both of them.”
Date: May 19th 2007
Article: Plumbers fight for famous number
Reference: 867-59309/Jenny
This entry was contributed by Alicia Mitchell.
May 19th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Tommy should get it
May 20th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Well the number will remain synonomous with the song! I have wondered from time to time about the number, and who would fight for the right to have it. I never dreamed it would come down to a couple of plumbing companies — but hey, I guess it works for them.
Good luck, and may the best plumber win. Whichever company gains the right to the number, they undoubtedly will have no problem with catchy advertising.
May 21st, 2007 at 10:53 am
gem should get it coz they got it first and they got it legally.