"'We Will Include 'Mayak' and 'Mafia' in Company Name'... 'Are You Out of Your Mind?' Multiple Rejections"

Rejected if it undermines public morals or is violent
Playful names also rejected... "It will kill the sense of humor"

From April last year to April this year, as many as 766 company names were rejected by the UK Companies House. The Companies House is a government agency responsible for all information related to limited liability companies in the UK.

The UK business media outlet City AM reported on the 20th (local time), citing analysis data from the Companies House, that over 700 new corporations were denied registration. The main reason for rejecting company names was that they were deemed offensive to public morals. In particular, corporate names that caused sexual discomfort were mostly rejected.

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

Additionally, company names that were excessively violent or evoked drugs were also rejected. Among the rejected corporations was "Dope Deal Limited," where "dope" is a slang term in English-speaking countries referring to drugs or drug use. It appears the company was refused registration because the name explicitly implied drug dealing. For similar reasons, "Kush Investments," referring to cannabis, was also rejected.

Furthermore, company names containing criminal terms such as "Mafia," "Killer," and "Burglar" were also rejected. Some company names were somewhat ambiguous to reject. For example, there was a company named "Colin Bake Dope (Responsibly)," which could be roughly interpreted as "Colin Bake's (responsible) drug company." There was also a founder who openly proposed the name "Illegal Limited." Both were ultimately rejected by the Companies House.

However, some criticize the Companies House for applying overly strict standards to company names. Nicholas Campion, director of First Formation, a UK business formation agency, pointed out, "Company names created simply as wordplay, such as 'Men's Grooming Clinic' and 'Crappy Nappy,' were also rejected," adding that "(the Companies House) has an outdated evaluation process."

He continued, "There are also legal issues. What should be done when trying to align company names with those approved by advertising regulatory bodies?" and added, "If the Companies House does not accept modern language usage practices, it will kill our sense of humor."