Upon learning from The Light that Stinson Beach innkeeper John Posadas had claimed the name "Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce" by filing a fictitious business name, other coastal merchants have scrambled to figure out just what they should do about it.

For starters, as soon as last week's paper hit the streets, the president of West Marin Chamber of Commerce hurried to the County Clerk's office to claim chamber of commerce names for other towns here.

Chamber president Laurence Kirsch said he filed 13 fictitious business names last Thursday, "all which have the words 'Chamber of Commerce' in them, and all of which name various towns and geographic features of West Marin."

West Marin Chamber now has rights to the names: Bolinas Chamber of Commerce, Olema Chamber of Commerce, Point Reyes Station Chamber of Commerce, Point Reyes Chamber of Commerce, Inverness Chamber of Commerce, Marshall Chamber of Commerce, Tomales Chamber of Commerce, Tomales Bay Chamber of Commerce, Coastal Marin Chamber of Commerce, and even Stinson Chamber of Commerce (as opposed to Posadas' Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce).

As president of what he called the "real" chamber, Kirsch said he was "concerned that consumers might be misled by private businesses pretending to be a chamber of commerce. We're trying to avoid potential problems for our members."

Currently, the West Marin Chamber of Commerce represents 100 businesses (including Posadas' Redwood Haus inn) from Stinson Beach to Tomales and including the San Geronimo Valley.

"About 25 percent of our members are bed-and-breakfast inns, and the remainder is mostly made up of restaurants, ranches, and retail stores," Kirsch said. "We want to offer them some legitimacy of representation."

Meanwhile, innkeeper Posadas retains ownership of the Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce name.

Posadas told The Light last week that "this mind-boggling situation" began when a rock band dubbed itself the Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce while staying at his inn, using his phone as their business line.

"I filed their name with the county to cover my ass," Posadas said, "but now the band's gone."

These days, he's fielding calls from visitors asking about campsites, lodging, and coastal weather conditions, he said.

Although Kirsch stressed that he could see "no wrongdoing in what Posadas has done," he acknowledged that "some businesses in Stinson Beach were concerned about this."

Indeed, the Stinson Beach Merchants Association plans to meet next week to "determine what kind of visitor information should be given out to interested callers," said gallery owner Claudia Chapline, who will host the gathering at her business.

Posadas, meanwhile, has no intention of giving up his Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce name. "I won't be intimidated into releasing my fictitious business name," he said Monday. "I've spent too much time, headache, and heartache over it already."