Former Lawmaker Convicted of Raping His Daughters Copyrights His Name to Bar Its Use by Daughters and Reporters

Former South Dakota lawmaker Ted Klaudt does not like all of the stories being written about him. Most politicians are delighted with coverage but Klaudt is best known for raping his foster daughters. Klaudt’s solution (after failing to prove innocence) was to copyright his name and demand that newspapers ask his permission to use his name 20 days before any article or face millions in penalties for unauthorized use.

It is a clever idea that only lacks a basis in the law to work. You cannot copyright your name in this way. You can make your name a trademark but only for business and services — not journalistic stories.

Of course, even if it could work, there are few people who would want to infringe on the trademark name of Ted Klaudt. He was convicted of second-degree rape in 2007 after he told his 17- and 19-year-old foster daughters that he needed to touch their breasts and genitals in a purported attempt to collect their ovarian eggs. He was sentenced to 44 years in prison for rape and 10 more years for witness tampering.

One of the people who received a copyright warning was his daughter, Roxy.

Klaudt ran on family values and passed legislation to protect children from abuse as a house member.

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