The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 215

ftSl SECTION SATURDAY Cos Atujcks (Times MARCH 7, 1998 cct BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS Asia's Woes Taking a Bite Out of U.S. Food Exports 'QT' DOW INDUS. AVG. 8,569.39 rV barrel if 11 J0-ear U. Agriculture: Short-term drop-off in demand could be offset by reforms stemming from crisis.

$14.91 6.02 i J. i 6 7 i hfc in mi mi it i mi iii I in yen Vl tNewYoraJf 1 0.12 4 1.10 i Broad Rally Lifts Dow 125 as Technology Stocks Resurge Markets: Strong employment report boosts sentiment, as bonds stay calm. But session ends with new earnings warning. From Times Staff and Wire Reports The stock market's reputation for increasingly manic behavior appeared well-deserved Friday, as share prices rocketed after plunging on Thursday. But the mood could swing again Monday, because Compaq Computer said after trad $294.60 127.93 MARKETS goods to gain a foothold in some Asian lands.

Desperate for financial aid, these nations are agreeing to reduce tariffs and introduce other reforms that otherwise might have taken years to win through painstaking negotiations. South Korea, for example, is expected to make it easier for California citrus to enter that historically restrictive but major market. "The silver lining is that many of the IMF packages are providing long-term reforms that will gain access for many products," said Lon Hatamiya, administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service. At the same time, the United States is moving to protect or boost the Asian market presence for U.S.

growers by boosting subsidies for Asian customers Please see FOOD, D2 By MARTHA GROVES TIMES STAFF WRITER 1 The economic crisis that has engulfed most of Asia has reduced demand for some U.S. agricultural products, but in the long run the situation help American farmers by forcing trade reforms in that region, government officials and farm groups said this Sveek. In many cases, bailouts from the International Monetary Fund are predicated on the loosening of restrictions that have made it tough for U.S. farm Associated Press REBOUND: Blue chips roared back as the nation's unemployment rate eased investors' worries about tech stock profit warnings. Dl Orange County KNOTT'S PLANS: Operators of Knott's Berry Farm will spend more than $35 million on two new rides, a light and laser show and overall improvements.

Dl More Orange County Business coverage, D2. U.S. is moving to boost Asian market presence. Above, a Tokyo shopper. ing closed that it won't make money this quarter adding to the chorus of tech companies warning about Weak near-term results.

The Dow Jones industrial average soared 125.06 points, or 1.5, to 8,569.39, as bargain hunters swooped in after Thurs- if) 1 HIGH-TECH TROUBLES Compaq is the latest computer firm to warn of lower quarterly profit. D2 j. i i -g e. day's 95-point drop. Buyers were emboldened by a strong February employment report that failed to rile the bond market.

Tumbling oil prices also helped. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, which plunged 47.78 points, or 2.7, on Thursday after computer chip giant Intel warned of a shortfall in first-quarter sales, rebounded 41.57 points, or 2.4, to 1,753.49. The market was strong across the board, with winners topping losers 22 to 8 on the Please see MARKETS, D3 THE CUTTING EDGE Is there a Silicon Valley in Southern California's future? A group of Times re-1 porters document the growth of high tech from San Diego to Santa Barbara. -jL LORI SHEPLER Los Angeles Times tired 'Of all the headache and stress," says video store owner Don Park of his trademark predicament. Out Sized WALL STREET, CALIFORNIA GM to Reduce Vehicle Production in North America Autos: The 5.1 cut in second quarter is prompted by weak sales and spurs concern the firm won't meet earnings expectations.

From Bloomberg News General Motors Corp. said Friday it plans to build 5.1 fewer cars and trucks in North America in the second quarter because of weak sales, raising concern it won't meet earnings expectations. GM said in its first estimate of April-to-June output that it will make 1,384,000 vehicles, compared with 1,459,000 in the year-earlier quarter. Truck production in the U.S., Canada and Mexico will rise 2.4 and car output will fall 11. Dealer lots are bulging with unsold vehicles as GM sales have fallen 6.6 in 1998.

Cutting output eases the backlog but jeopardizes profit because auto makers record sales as cars leave the factory. GM will be hard-pressed to match second-quarter earnings estimates of $2.55 a share, analysts said. "There's no way they can earn near the consensus," said Merrill Lynch analyst Nicholas Lobaccaro, who has a "neutral" rating on the stock. He lowered his full-year earnings estimate to $7.60 a share from $7.70 and said he might also cut his second -quarter estimate from $2.25. The estimate is the average of 10 analysts surveyed by IBES Please see GM, D3 Small Firms Feel Pinch of More Aggressive Trademark Policing By STEPHEN GREGORY, special to the times IRVINE Don Park says he had never heard of In-N-Out Burgers when he named his La Mirada video store nine years ago.

But he wishes he had. Given what he knows now, the 30-year-old Yorba Linda man said, he would have steered clear of the moniker In-N-Out Video Games and avoided more than a year of hassles with the fast-food chain, which has been pressing him to change his shop's name on grounds it unfairly taps into the INVEST AND LEARN: The UCLA Investment Fund gives graduate business and finance students real-world experience handling real money. Trademark Know-How Before naming a business, proprietors should search federal and state trademark databases for names that have already been registered or for which applications are pending. Federal trademark records can be found at Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W. 5th St.

Information: (213) 228-7220. State records can be searched by phone, up to two names per call: (916) 653-4984. Proprietors should also search telephone books, cham -bers of commerce registries and Internet listings of businesses that have not trademarked their names but may have common-law rights to them. Professional searches can be arranged through patent and trademark attorneys. Check the yellow pages under "Attorneys Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law" Generally, proprietors should avoid business names specifically inspired by or spun off from existing businesses.

More information: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, (800) 786-9199 or Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office restaurant popularity ana muddles consumer identification with its trademark. "I'm tired of all the headache and stress," Park said of the letters, phone calls Lessons and insight on Southland Businesses and legal actions the dispute has touched off. Park is one of at least five business owners to become entangled in the burger chain's vigorous trademark protection efforts in the last year.

Three agreed to change their names at the company's behest, and a fourth consented only after it was named in a trademark infringement lawsuit. Park has been Please see TRADEMARK, D3 Los Angeles Times Business Services On the Web For business news, point your browser to http:www.latimes and click on Business. To go directly to free stock and mutual fund quotes and foreign exchange rates, go to http:www.latimes Financial Fax Receive information on daily activity on your stock portfolio and business news by fax with Los Angeles Times Financial Fax. For a free trial, call (800) LAT1MES, Ext. 75121.

Reprints, Research Research and copies of Times stories are available from Times on Demand by mail or fax. Call (800) 788-8804. From $8. Or sign on to The Times Archives at http: www.Ittlmes.comHOME ARCHIVES; $1.50 per article or $4.95 for 10. Details on using Times electronic services, D3 Competition Spurs Knott's Into $35-Million Expansion 1 Cedar Fair executives said Knott's will retain its heritage, but the nation's oldest theme park will add pizazz with two signature thrill rides, including the 30-story Supreme Scream, opening July 4.

"We needed something people will talk about," said Jack Falfas, Knott's general manager. "We wanted to make a big splash and be noticed." But it's getting harder for a smaller park to be noticed in Southern California, where competition is brutal. This spring. Magic Mountain in Valencia plans to open what it calls the world's fastest and tallest stand-up roller coaster. And Disneyland, less than 10 miles away from Knott's, hopes to complete an expen-Please see KNOTT'S, D2 By DARYL STRICKLAND TIMES staff writer BUENA PARK In an effort to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving theme park industry, the new owners of Knott's Berry Farm said Friday they will spend more than $35 million to create three new attractions and refurbish Independence Hall.

The project, which includes Orange County's highest structure, will be the costliest and most ambitious expansion at Knott's, said Cedar Fair LP, the Sandusky, Ohio, company that acquired Knott's in December. It also is expected to add 100 employees to the payroll, the company said. Carpenter Justin Page works on the foundation for Knott's Berry Farm's Ghost Rider roller coaster, a $23-million ride planned for a spring 1999 debut. A quick guide to rotating weekly features in the Business section: SUNDAY: Your Money, Work Careers MONDAY: The Cutting TUESDAY: Wall Street, Calif, (investing) Commercial Real Estate WEDNESDAY: Small Business THURSDAY: Advertising Marketing ALSCHABEN Lot Angela Timet.