Decision

Decision on Tacobell Ltd

Updated 12 October 2023

Order under the Companies Act 2006

In the matter of application No. 4241

For a change of company name of registration No. 14677161

Decision

The company name TACOBELL LTD has been registered since 20 February 2023 under number 14677161.

By an application filed on 9 March 2023, TACO BELL CORP. applied for a change of name of this registration under the provisions of section 69(1) of the Companies Act 2006 (the Act).

A copy of this application was sent to the primary respondent’s registered office on 27 March 2023, in accordance with rule 3(2) of the Company Names Adjudicator Rules 2008. The copy of the application was sent by Royal Mail “Signed For” service and also by standard mail. On 27 March 2023, the Tribunal wrote to Waqar Ali to inform him that the applicant had requested that he be joined to the proceedings. No comments were received from Waqar Ali in relation to this request. On 14 July 2023, Waqar Ali was joined as a co-respondent. On 14 July 2023, the parties were advised that no defence had been received to the application and so the adjudicator may treat the application as not being opposed. The parties were granted a period of 14 days to request a hearing in relation to this matter, if they so wished. No request for a hearing was made.

The primary respondent did not file a defence within the two month period specified by the adjudicator under rule 3(3). Rule 3(4) states:

The primary respondent, before the end of that period, shall file a counter-statement on the appropriate form, otherwise the adjudicator may treat it as not opposing the application and may make an order under section 73(1).

Under the provisions of this rule, the adjudicator may exercise discretion so as to treat the respondent as opposing the application. In this case I can see no reason to exercise such discretion and, therefore, decline to do so.

As the primary respondent has not responded to the allegations made, it is treated as not opposing the application. Therefore, in accordance with section 73(1) of the Act I make the following order:

(a) TACOBELL LTD shall change its name within one month of the date of this order to one that is not an offending name; ^{[footnote 1]}

(b) TACOBELL LTD and Waqar Ali each shall:

(i) take such steps as are within their power to make, or facilitate the making, of that change;

(ii) not cause or permit any steps to be taken calculated to result in another company being registered with a name that is an offending name.

In accordance with s.73(3) of the Act, this order may be enforced in the same way as an order of the High Court or, in Scotland, the Court of Session.

In any event, if no such change is made within one month of the date of this order, I will determine a new company name as per section 73(4) of the Act and will give notice of that change under section 73(5) of the Act.

All respondents, including individual co-respondents, have a legal duty under Section 73(1)(b)(ii) of the Companies Act 2006 not to cause or permit any steps to be taken calculated to result in another company being registered with an offending name; this includes the current company. Non-compliance may result in an action being brought for contempt of court and may result in a custodial sentence.

The applicant is requesting its costs. In response to question 7 on the Form CNA1 (“Did you warn the company that if it did not change its name that you would start legal proceedings against it? if “yes” when did you warn the company?”), the applicant states:

No. The company address shown at 2 above serves as the applicant’s address for their UK subsidiary companies TACO BELL UK AND EUROPE LIMITED (00928917) and TACO BELL ASIA FRANCHISING, LP (LP020707). Accordingly, no effective notice can be provided.

Given the respondent’s registered office address is the address of the applicant’s UK subsidiary companies and the fact that the respondent has played no part in these proceedings, the applicant’s decision not to contact the primary respondent before filing its application was not, in my view, unreasonable and ought not to prevent it from being awarded costs.

TACO BELL CORP., having been successful, is entitled to a contribution towards its costs. I order TACOBELL LTD and Waqar Ali, being jointly and severally liable, to pay TACO BELL CORP. costs on the following basis:

Fee for application: £400
Statement of case: £400

Total: £800

This sum is to be paid within seven days of the expiry of the appeal period or within seven days of the final determination of this case if any appeal against this decision is unsuccessful.

Any notice of appeal against this decision to order a change of name must be given within one month of the date of this order. Appeal is to the High Court in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and to the Court of Session in Scotland.

The company adjudicator must be advised if an appeal is lodged, so that implementation of the order is suspended.

Dated 16 August 2023

Susan Eaves
Company Names Adjudicator

1. An “offending name” means a name that, by reason of its similarity to the name associated with the applicant in which he claims goodwill, would be likely to be the subject of a direction under section 67 (power of Secretary of State to direct change of name), or to give rise to a further application under section 69. ↩