21 January 2016

By virtue of Article 19 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (hereinafter — the Civil Code) natural persons as subjects of civil law acquire and exercise rights and obligations under its «name», and legal entities under its «name», as established by Article 54 of the Civil Code.

According to the general rule expressed in paragraph 1 of article 54 of the Civil Code, a legal entity has its own name, containing an indication of the organizational-legal form.
Further, in paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Civil Code in respect of commercial organizations established a special condition — commercial organization must have a brand name.
Rights to the trade name determined in accordance with the rules of Section VII of the Civil Code.

In turn, Article 1473 of the Civil Code, paragraph 1 provides that a legal entity which is a commercial organization that acts in the civil circulation under his own brand name, which is defined in its founding documents and is included in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities under the state registration of legal entities. And in paragraph 2 — that the name of the legal entity must contain an indication of its organizational and legal form and the actual name of the legal entity, which can not consist only of words denoting occupation.

A systematic interpretation of the rules of Article 54 of the Civil Code and the Civil Code in 1473 raises the question: are identical and whether the concept of «corporate name» and «company name»?
The first point of view. The terms «corporate name» and «company name» reflects the essence of various phenomena.

It seems that «the name of the legal entity» is a term of corporate law, and the term «company name» is applicable in the right to results of intellectual activity and means of individualization.
Corporate law regulates public relations developing between members of legal entities, as well as between the parties and entities.

In keeping with the views of EA Sukhanov also believe that corporate law is a sub-branch of the civil law. A feature included in its public relations thing is that they are of property and organizational.
Consequently, the presence of legal entity allows one to separate legal entities from the others and is one of the ways to identify the legal entity, along with the identification number of the taxpayer and the state registration number in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, which fully corresponds to the matters governed by the said subsector.
Thus, the name of the legal entity is its name, which separates one person from others.

The right to the results of intellectual activity and means of individualization, in our opinion, is also a sub-branch of the civil law.
The object of this sub-sector includes non-property relations absolute.

This fact is confirmed by the regulation of such phenomena as the «company name», the fourth part of the Civil Code, referring in Article 1225 of the Civil Code «brand name» to the results of intellectual activity and equated means of individualization of legal entities, goods, services and businesses that provide legal protection (intellectual property).

And Article 1474 of the Civil Code provides the exclusive right of the legal entity to use its brand name as a means of identification in any manner not inconsistent with law.
Also, according to the literal interpretation of paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Civil Code, the availability of brand name mediated goals of the person: the legal entity that has no-profit, it may not have the brand name.

Proof of this approach is reflected in the Civil Code. For example, in paragraph 5 of Article 54 of the Civil Code name, company name and address of the legal entity stated in its founding documents and in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

The second point of view. «The name of the legal person» and «company name» — is related terms.
According to this approach, the term «corporate name» and «company name» regulate the same public relations are special and complex phenomenon, which testifies to the individualization of the person, but at the same time is an absolute legal relationship to third parties is «an asset «its members and is property and organizational.

This approach is reflected in the fact that actually the term «company name» is regulated and the Civil Code, and the laws that are part of corporate law, for example, the Federal Law (ed. By 05.05.2014, the) «On Limited Liability Companies» (Article 4) and the Federal Law (ed. by 07.21.2014, the) «On Joint Stock Companies» (Article 4).

Also, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 1473 of the Civil Code name of the legal entity it is part of the brand name.

So, VI Eremenko from the analysis of the current legislation makes the following conclusion:
Exclude the possibility of the transfer of company name in conjunction with the company the exclusive right to the trade name, in fact, deprive elk its property maintenance and actually merged with such categories as «name of the commercial organization," which is a personal right and as individualizing a legal entity as a whole as an organization having separate property and acts of property and personal non-property relations on its behalf in all spheres of activity.

Apparently, this point of view, this is not just about speaking, sticks and IV Shitkina:
The proper name of the business association is the means of its individualization and is expressed in the company name, which should contain the full name of the company, its legal form, and in respect of the company — as an indication of the type (Art. 4 of the JSC Law, Art. 4 of the Act the LLC). Brand name of the legal entity is registered simultaneously with the state registration of the business entity. Since then, the society has arises exclusive right to use their own names.

Therefore, we can state the fact that the legislator did not separate commercial organizations such phenomena as the «company name» and «name of the legal entity», but on the contrary, gave them a single point, a single value. Moreover, the analysis of the Federal Law «On Limited Liability Companies» and the Federal Law «On Joint-Stock Companies» supports the idea that these two concepts are mixed.

Some definitions in this issue have tried to make the highest courts in the Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation № 5, the Plenum of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation of 26.03.2009 № 29 «On some issues arising in connection with the introduction of Part Four of the Civil Code Federation «, in paragraphs 58.1, 58.2 for commercial organizations which the concepts of» brand name «and» name of the legal entity «is given equivalent value.

It seems that at the moment indicated by the main practical problem — the lack of a developed protection of the exclusive right to the name of the nonprofit organization.
VO Kalyatin, commenting on paragraph 58.2 of the mentioned resolution, concludes:
These concepts are related as species and genera, brand name is a kind of legal entity. However, the exclusive right provided for only in respect of a trade name, which may belong to a commercial organization. Name of the nonprofit organization, thus not protected by the fourth part of the Civil Code, although the interests of the non-profit organization can be protected using general rules of the Civil Code.

Agreeing with the above opinion, we believe that it is not enough to protect the exclusive rights and in commerce there is a need to consolidate the name of non-profit organizations as a means of individualization of legal entities within the meaning of the fourth part of the Civil Code, as evidenced by the arbitration practice (Determination of SAC from 06.09.2012 g BAC number 8760/12 in the case number A19-15965 / 2011; definition of the RF from 03.07.2012 g BAC number 8176/12 in the case number A46-9631 / 2011; definition of the RF from 03.07.2012 number of VAS-8091/12 on the case number A27-9834 / 2011; Judgment of the Russian Federation of 01.04.2014, № VAS-3189/14 on the case number A40- 173939/2012).

It should also be noted that until 1 January 2008, subject of the agreement of commercial concession (Article 1027 of the Civil Code) as the object includes the right to a company name. Exception of brand names, paragraph 4 of Article 25 of the Introductory Law of the Civil Code of the fourth part of the subject of the agreement of commercial concession is justified, because it personalizes the subject — a commercial organization, not the enterprise as an object.

According to judicial practice, violation of the right to a company name is the illegal use of a trade name in full (Informational letter of the RF from 29.05.1992 g number C-13 / PGI-122 «On the individual decisions of meetings on arbitration practice»; Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court Mr. 05.03.2002 № 4193/01). At the same time a means of individualization of a legal entity is in fact no company name as a whole, but only distinctive element that allows to distinguish one entity from another.

Based on the foregoing, it is wrong to confuse these two concepts, as we believe logically and methodologically more correct to divide the terms «company name» and «name of the legal entity» or to create a single legal regime for names of both commercial and non-profit organizations, providing the same a set of rights that should be reflected in changes in the relevant rules of the Civil Code.
This ambiguous nature of these terms and arising in connection with this legal uncertainty gave rise to problems of protection of exclusive rights to the name of non-profit organizations in the future could give rise to additional and unpredictable at the moment problems in law enforcement.