Odd company names to be banned in China

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"Beijing Afraid of Wife Technology" and "What You Looking at Technology" are just two examples of the kind of company name that will soon be a thing of the past.

After launching a campaign to eliminate public signs with poor English translations, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) is targeting firms attempting to register names that are excessively long or strange.

The Legal Daily paper cited names of existing firms that would not be allowed under the new rules, including "Shanghai Wife Biggest Electronic Commerce" and "Hangzhou No Trouble Looking for Trouble Internet Technology".

Screenshot from National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, indicating the name of "There is a Group of Young People with Dreams, Who Believe They Can Create Wonders of Life Under Uncle Niu's Leadership Internet Technology".

The newspaper also gave the example of a condom company called "There is a Group of Young People with Dreams, Who Believe They Can Create Wonders of Life Under Uncle Niu's Leadership Internet Technology".

The restrictions were introduced by the SAIC this month, while also banning company names deemed offensive or racist or having religious or political connotations.

Outside China, other countries have also made moves to regulate "inappropriate" company names.

According to China National Radio (CNR), companies in Russia can use only Russian words when registering businesses. Untranslated foreign words are banned by the administration.

Although the UK has few rules governing what name a company may trade under, firms are forbidden from using any words related to royalty, such as king, queen or prince.

Government-related words like Government, British and Britain are also taboo for local companies to use in their names, said CNR.

Source(s): AFP