Company Name Rules

On 1 October 2008, new rules relating to the registration of company names came into force. These allow companies to object more easily to the registration of a company name which could be confused with theirs. The new rules can be found on the website of the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Recently, a company called Coke-Cola was required to change its name following an objection from Coca-Cola. Coke-Cola was also ordered to make a contribution towards Coca-Cola’s costs and to reimburse the company for the fee for filing its objection.

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