Can a Bruges bar stop a Blankenberge pop-up from using the name Oswald?
A pop-up bar called Oswald in the seaside town of Blankenberge has been summoned to court by a bar of the same name in Bruges, in a dispute over who may use the label.
In 30 seconds
- A pop-up bar named Oswald in Blankenberge has been summoned to court by a bar Oswald in Bruges over the shared name, as reported by Het Laatste Nieuws.
- The Bruges operators framed their case as defending their reputation: "We moeten onze goede naam toch kunnen beschermen?" ("Surely we must be able to protect our good name?").
- Belgian name protection runs through Benelux trademark registration at BOIP and, separately, through protection of an actively used trade name against confusing later use.
- Entrepreneurs can check name availability via the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO/BCE, economie.fgov.be) and the BOIP trademark register before launching.
A pop-up bar operating under the name Oswald in Blankenberge, on the Belgian coast in West Flanders, has been summoned to court by an established bar also called Oswald in nearby Bruges (Brugge), which objects to the shared name and says it is entitled to protect its reputation. The relevant legal machinery is Belgian and Benelux name protection: registered trademarks through the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP), and the separate protection of an actively used trade name (handelsnaam) where later use risks customer confusion. Key entities: the Bruges bar Oswald (claimant), the Blankenberge pop-up Oswald (defendant), BOIP as the trademark registry, and the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO/BCE) as the business register.
Background
Belgium has long protected business names through two overlapping routes: Benelux-wide trademark registration, centralised since the Benelux trademark system was established and now administered by BOIP, and the older common-law-style protection of a genuinely used trade name against confusingly similar later use. Disputes between similarly named hospitality businesses are a recurring, usually quietly settled, feature of a small country with a rich naming tradition.
What to do
Before committing to a business name in Belgium, search the KBO/BCE enterprise register and the BOIP trademark database, handle local signage and permits through your gemeente or commune in the correct language (Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, either in Brussels), and register a Benelux trademark via boip.int if the name matters — a few hundred euros that can prevent a costly dispute later.
Impact
Regional — The row is rooted in West Flanders, between Bruges and the coastal town of Blankenberge, and touches the region's dense café and seasonal-pop-up culture, where evocative first-name branding is common and overlaps are near-inevitable.
EvidenceWell established · 1 primary source + 2 official documentsExplore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
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- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 5 Aug 2026
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- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 5 Aug 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 5 Aug 2026
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.