The Company Names Tribunal

Adjudicating on opportunistic company name registrations

Company names adjudicators will deal only with disputes about opportunistic company name registrations; that is, solely with applications (complaints) made under sections 69(1)(a) and (b) of the Companies Act 2006 . These sections provide for complaints by businesses or persons who have a goodwill or reputation associated with a name and where the name (or a similar name likely to suggest a connection with the complainant) has been opportunistically registered as a company name by someone else with a view to obtaining money from the complainant, or to prevent the complainant from registering the name.

Company names adjudicators cannot deal with cases where someone feels that another company name registration is too similar to, or ‘too like’, their own company name but where there is no suspected opportunism behind the registration. These sorts of disputes or complaints are dealt with by Companies House , or may be actionable under the law of passing off.

For further information, visit The Company Names Tribunal website.