China tries to curb long firm names

THE Chinese government thinks this company’s name literally goes too far: A Group of Youths in Baoji Holding a Cherished Dream That Under the Leadership of Uncle Niu They Will Create the Miracle of Life Network Technology Co Ltd.

In the original Chinese, it is 39 characters long. And under guidelines issued this month by China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce, that’s a bit too much of a mouthful.

The rules say new companies cannot register names that are paragraphs or long sentences, or that include sensitive language, including political terms. It also gives the government vague authority to fix “inappropriate” names as it sees fit. But Niu Xiaolu, aka Uncle Niu, is not concerned.

“If I receive notice to shorten the name, I will try to keep it,” said Niu, whose company in Shaanxi makes condoms. “If I cannot, I will fix it according to regulations.”

Names that discriminate against gender, race or ethnicity are prohibited, too, as are references to terrorism, separatism and extremism. Religious terms, the names of national leaders, illegal organisations and reactionaries are a no-go. And companies cannot use their names to imply they are nonprofit organisations.

Neither Hangzhou Looking for Trouble Internet Technology nor a related business, Hangzhou No Problem If I’m Here Internet Technology Co, could be reached for comment.

For Niu, having a long company name cuts both ways. On the one hand, he said, it made payment using WeChat and Alipay impossible – neither system can handle a name of that size.

“We are mostly doing e-commerce, which is almost 100 percent affected by this trouble,” he said.

On the other hand, he added, when he has asked for a receipt using his company name in restaurants, sometimes the staff recognise it and give him a free meal.