More than a hundred legal challenges are filed by neighboring institutions opposing the use of Greater Manchester trademarks.
Bolton’s attempt to rename it the University of Greater Manchester despite opposition from its regional revivals has sparked a bitter legal dispute in the northwest of England.
Bolton’s vice-chancellor has accused three local universities, including two of the largest in the UK, the University of Manchester and the University of Greater Metropolitan, of operating as a “cartel.”
The University of Bolton applied to England’s higher education regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), last year to register as the University of Greater Manchester, arguing that its students and campuses were spread across the region, making the title more appropriate.
The universities of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan, and Salford have opposed the idea, claiming that the name would cause significant confusion among students and the general public.
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The universities have separately filed more than 100 legal challenges against Bolton for using Greater Manchester trademarks, including Greater Manchester Business School, after objecting to the OfS consultation.
Bolton’s vice-chancellor, Prof. George Holmes, plans to mount a counteroffensive that would involve an appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s watchdog on the competition, according to a letter from the Guardian.
Homes wrote to Susan Lapworth, the chief executive of the OfS, expressing his university’s concerns about possible unlawful anti-competitive behavior by a small but powerful collective of Manchester-based higher education institutions.
In addition, Holmes said, “I would suggest that we are both seeing cartels operating between the three universities against our proposed change of name and that at least one of those universities is attempting to use its dominant position in the higher education marketplace regionally to restrict the innovation of a competitor.”
A spokesperson for Bolton stated that they could not comment on confidential communications between the university and its regulations or on legal proceedings. However, they confirmed that speaking with the CMA and the university’s governing body would be appropriate to consider additional measures.
The spokesperson of the University of Manchester said: “We responded to the formal OfS consultation regarding the name change and registered our concerns, and we have also responded to a series of connected trademark applications. They believe the proposed change of name will be extremely ambiguous and confusing.
Manchester Met stated, “We have submitted our views on the proposed change of name to the OfS as part of its consultation process.” We believe that the University of Bolton’s trademark application infringes upon our registered trademarks, and we have objected to those applications.
The University of Salford also stated that “we submitted our views on the proposed name change to the OfS as part of the consultation process and have responded to a number of trademark applications and registrations made by the University of Bolton.
Bolton’s pro-vice-chancellor, Greg Walker, testified before the OfS in favor of the name change, claiming that the university has undergone “beyond all recognition” charges in two decades since it was given its current name. According to the university, which now has campuses in Manchester and Salford, 70% of UK students come from the Greater Manchester region, while only 20% reside in Bolton.
According to Walker, the institution’s determined efforts to increase graduate employment are hampered by the current and misleading provincial university name.
According to Holmes, students’ complaints that Bolton was difficult to identify internationally and locally served as the catalyst for the Greater Manchester name, as he stated in an interview.
People will continue to ask us if Bolton has a university. We continue to get this crap even after this all this time. Holmes added that he genuinely thinks it affects our graduate’s outcomes.
