According to the Denver Post, Anchsutz has filed 127 U.S. applications to trademark general circulation newspapers with "The Examiner" name in 69 cities, including Denver. His paper said Anschutz's Clarity Media Group has spent tens of thousands of dollars on the applications, based on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's $335 filing fee.

Among the areas where Clarity sought trademarks include Long Island; Des Moines; Detroit; Kansas City, Mo.; New Orleans; Phoenix; Salt Lake City and Boston.

Anschutz spokesman Jim Monaghan told the Post the applications are meant to protect the name of the San Francisco paper.

"It was a prudent business move to protect The Examiner trademark broadly," Monaghan said. "We don't want to talk about our business strategy. But things are going very well in San Francisco, and it seemed prudent to protect the value of the trademark." Monaghan also told the San Francisco Chronicle, "I caution people not to make any business strategy assumptions" from the filing. He said it would be incorrect to assume there are plans to enter new markets. "We will announce [any expansion plans] as appropriate or as timely. We have nothing to announce right now."

Anschutz, the founder of Qwest Communications International, ranks 33rd among Forbes' richest 400 Americans and has a net worth of $5.2 billion, according to the magazine. BusinessWeek recently listed Anschutz as one of the nation's largest charitable givers, having donated $226 million of his fortune in the past four years. The Post reported that he bought the five-day-a-week San Francisco Examiner and two weekly newspapers in February. In September he bought three more papers near suburban Washington, D.C.: the Northern Virginia, Prince George's and Montgomery Journals.

Once the flagship of William Randolph Hearst's 28-newspaper, 18-magazine media empire, the Post said the San Francisco Examiner had devolved into a free weekday paper.

In a brief biography Forbes described Anschutz as a former oilman who now runs a wide-ranging empire in telecom, sports and entertainment. His two biggest holdings: fiber-optic company Qwest and theater chain Regal Cinemas. He also owns L.A.'s Staples Center and London's Millennium Dome as well as Major League Soccer teams and stakes in the NBA's Lakers and the NHL's Kings. Anschutz is described as a promoter of a family-values agenda through motion picture projects and a philanthropist who also sponsors the nationwide billboard campaign featuring celebrities and altruistic "Pass It On" slogan.

Cities that Anschutz has sought trademarks for his free paper include: Albuquerque; Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Baltimore; Birmingham, Ala.; Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Dayton, Ohio; Denver; Des Moines, Iowa; Detroit; Fresno; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Fort Worth, Texas; Hartford, Conn.; Honolulu; Houston; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas; Long Island, N. Y.; Los Angeles; Louisville, Ky.; Memphis; Miami; Milwaukee; Nashville; New Orleans; New York; Oakland; Oklahoma City; Orange County; Orlando; Palm Beach, Fla.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; Portland, Ore.; Providence, R.I.; Rochester, N.Y.; Sacramento; St. Louis; St. Paul, Minn.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Salt Lake City; San Antonio; San Diego; San Francisco; San Jose; Seattle; Tacoma, Wash.; Tampa, Fla.; Tucson; Tulsa, Okla.; and Washington.

Editor's note: