THE boss of Oxford City FC has dismissed claims his new university in the United States could be confused with Oxford University.
American businessman Thomas Guerriero, pictured, who is a major stakeholder in the club, has said he wants to establish an Oxford City University Campus in Florida.
But an Oxford-based trademark attorney says City would have to check to see if the university’s name was protected in the US.
Mr Guerriero said: “There are 22 cities in the US with the name Oxford.
“On our website we make clear that our institution was founded in 2012.”
But Oxford University has confirmed it is monitoring the plans. Spokesman Matt Pickles said: “We are assessing what implications it may have for the university.”
Speaking on the issue of trademarks, Esther Gottschalk, trademark solicitor for Oxford firm Marks & Clerk LLP, said: “Trademarks are jurisdictional, so even if you are established and protected in the UK this doesn’t mean that you can automatically use the same name abroad.
“Because of this, most companies typically register their trademarks in every country they do business in.
“It’s vital that before launching in another country, you run legal checks to see if anyone else is using a confusingly similar brand name in the identical or a related business area.”
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