TRADE NAMES

According to Dutch Law a protected trade name exists if the trade name is being used by a company to conduct trade. The Dutch Trade Name Act refers in this regard to a company that takes part in the economic environment aiming for commercial benefits.

Article 5 of the Dutch Trade Name Act states that it is prohibited to trade under a trade name which is identical or differs slightly from a trade name that has already legitimately been used by another company for trading purposes, if – taking into account the nature of both companies and the place of business – a likelihood of confusion is expected between the companies involved.