Newsdeck

Newsdeck

Morgan Stanley Sues Morgan Stanley for Wrongful Use of Name

A file photograph dated 25 April 2007 of Morgan Stanley corporate sign in front of the company's Japan headquarters in downtown Tokyo. The former head of Morgan Stanley Asia believes Hong Kong is "over". (Photo: EPA-EFE/EVERETT KENNEDY BROWN)

There’s only one certainty in this lawsuit: Morgan Stanley is going to win.

The Wall Street titan accused Morgan Stanley Capital LLC of improperly using the 83-year-old investment bank’s trademark and name. The entity, MSC, allegedly filed for a charter in Delaware in 2015 and tried to register itself in China.

“Morgan Stanley greatly values its name and trademarks, and protects them to maintain its reputation as one of the most respected companies in financial services worldwide,” according to the lawsuit, filed Nov. 5 in the Delaware Chancery Court.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. had a similar issue in 2015, when it insisted it had no relation to a Chinese firm using a nearly identical English and Chinese name. For Morgan Stanley, the issue is especially confusing because the bank has used the word “capital” in a number of its own subsidiaries.

MSC also tried to use the Morgan Stanley name in job postings on the internet, according to the lawsuit. A phone number for MSC couldn’t immediately be found, and there’s no lawyer listed for the company in court records.

To be sure, Morgan Stanley doesn’t have a complete lock on its name. Until earlier this year, one of its own employees happened to be named Morgan Stanley.

The case is Morgan Stanley v. Morgan Stanley Capital LLC, Case No. 2018-0801-JTL, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington). DM

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

X

This article is free to read.

Sign up for free or sign in to continue reading.

Unlike our competitors, we don’t force you to pay to read the news but we do need your email address to make your experience better.


Nearly there! Create a password to finish signing up with us:

Please enter your password or get a sign in link if you’ve forgotten

Open Sesame! Thanks for signing up.

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Daily Maverick Elections Toolbox

Feeling powerless in politics?

Equip yourself with the tools you need for an informed decision this election. Get the Elections Toolbox with shareable party manifesto guide.