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The question

What is the Shar'i ruling regarding the dispute over the name of Project (F) which is identical to another project, and what are the implications of this similarity, especially if the owners of the first project had reserved the name initially, and are they obligated to pay compensation to the other party?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Establishing a project with the same name as an existing project is not prohibited unless the name has become a commercial name with significant financial value, in which case it is impermissible to infringe upon it. The Islamic Fiqh Academy has affirmed that trade names and trademarks are private rights of their owners, possess considerable financial value, and may be transacted for money. A trade name distinguishes an establishment, while a trademark distinguishes goods. Trade names acquire their value and fame over time. However, academic and da'wah (preaching/invitation to Islam) names do not fall under this ruling, and the state does not prevent their use except to avoid confusion. What has been mentioned is not considered a trade name that prevents others from using it, but it is preferable to avoid using the same name to prevent ambiguity, especially if the project has not yet gained fame. The quality of the work is fundamental, and projects can be distinguished by adding other details or by publishing different website links.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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