#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use strict;

my $name = "There is a <NaMe> in this string";
$name =~ s/\<name\>/(*)/i;
print "$name\n";

$name = "There is a <name> and another <NaMe> in this string";
$name =~ s/\<name\>/(*)/i;
print "$name\n";

$name = "There is a <name> and another <NaMe> in this string";
$name =~ s/\<name\>/(*)/gi;
print "$name\n";

__END__
__OUTPUT__
There is a (*) in this string
There is a (*) and another <NaMe> in this string
There is a (*) and another (*) in this string