O’so Brewing Co needed to change the name of a beer after they became victims of a copyright lawsuit. This comically highlights the importance that names play in business.

The 2015 edition of the prestigious anthology Best American Poetry (BAP) is now on sale. A mainstay since 1988, the American anthology is commonly accepted as one of the most important literary platforms for aspiring wordsmiths.

This year, the publication announcement includes an unforeseen onomastic controversy: Appearing alongside Chen Chen’s poem “i will do/undo what was done/undone to me” and Jane Wong’s “Thaw” is Yi-Fen Chou’s award winning poem “The Bees, the Flowers, Jesus, Ancient Tigers, Poseidon, Adam and Eve”. It looks as if three Asian-American authors made the final cut. However, the name Yi-Fen Chou is a pseudonym for Mr. Michael Derrick Hudson, who has no known Asian ancestry.

When asked why he had chosen this pen name, Hudson replied that he resorted to this tactic after his poem was repeatedly rejected under his real name.

As BAP juror and literary heavy-weight Sherman Alexie revealed in an interview with The Guardian that he only learned of Hudson’s non-Asian ancestry after the poem had been selected. According to Alexie, one of his goals when putting the 2015 anthology together was to make sure that it represented the true diversity of the United States. When he therefore learned the real identity of the author behind the name, Yi-Fen Chou, he was livid.

In an interview with TODAY.com, Dr. Timothy Yu, Director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained that one of the reasons why Hudson’s onomastic subterfuge was so injurious was that it ”fits into a long tradition of […] white Americans appropriating Asian identities and culture.” While poets and pundits will no doubt continue to argue the legitimacy of including Yi-Fen Chou/Hudson’s submission, from an onomastic point of view, this case exemplifies the power of names in forming our opinions and guiding our decision-making.

The poetry foundation offers many reactions to Yi-Fen Chou.

The EU ordered makers of the game DieselStormers to change its name because Diesel Clothing trademarked Diesel not just for clothing, but for every industry. Tech Dirt discusses the decision and considers the purpose of trademarks.

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

In northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, authorities have banned 22 Muslim names. Children with these names are forbidden from attending school until their names are changed.

Ilshat Hesen, vice president of the Washington-based Uyghur American Association, notes that this policy is a human rights violation.

See this article for more information and a full list of the banned names.

In addition to introducing regulations concerning the proper shape and size of food and beverages, the EU has also set a rigid system in place to protect food names against unauthorized imitation.

Within the United Kingdom, 63 different food names have been placed on the list of protected digestibles. A review of this list reveals that many of the food names are related to a particular geographical region. For example, there is Kentish ale which is different from a Rutland bitter. Among the protected cheeses, there are the Bonchester, Dovedale, and Swalesdale cheeses which are not to be confused with the Yorkshire Wensleydale, Staffordshire, or Teviotdale cheeses.

This means that when UK consumers buy a package with the label Herefordshire cider, they know that it did not come from Gloucestershire. The point behind all this onomastic protectionism is not only to provide transparency for the consumer, but also to offer regional producers with a certain degree of legal recompense should producers from another area attempt to cash in on their good name.

While all that seems straight-forward, the issue of food name protection is really quite messy. Say, for example, that the food being produced is harvested from a migratory animal…like a fish. Should an Alaskan King Crab really be called an Alaskan King Crab if it was caught off the coast of Russia or Norway? And what about foods which are grown in one place but processed in another? And while we are at it, what about foods which contain biotech ingredients? Should they be allowed to have the same name as so-called “natural” foods that do not contain such ingredients?

In partial answer to this last question, in a 275 to 175 vote, the US House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill (H.R. 1599) which blocks US states from mandating labels that clearly differentiate the genetically-modified from the non-genetically-modified.

Over a year ago, in a gutsy advertising move, the Coca Cola company launched a new campaign which invited coke fans to emblazon their personal names across a bottle, right above the white wave where the product name usually appeared.

The personalized product campaign seems to have fed right into that primordial drive which so many people seem to have to see their name written in print. The advertising was so popular that the company has had trouble keeping up with the production demands.

Aside from names like Aaron, Bobby, Diego, and Sheena, the company has also received countless requests to include fanciful nicknames like Legend, Wingman, and Star. In fact, the drive to have a personalized coke and a smile has become so big that many people are protesting that their names have not yet been plastered on one of the trademark hour-glass bottles. However, Coke Company executives insist that there is no malicious or hateful intent behind why some names have already been featured and others have not. According to a special CNN report, this year, the company has expanded its naming campaign to include even more specialty nicknames such “bro” and “better half”.

In addition, to make sure that the company effectively responds to the different onomastic desires and sensitivities of its customers, the firm has created specially tailored “Share a Coke” road tours which allow customers to obtain personalized coca-cola products that reflect their unique naming traditions. For example, in the Share a Coke Singapore tour, fans can receive cans emblazoned with the names Hui Ling, Di Di, Jie, Hie, Kor Kor, and Shuai ge. In Germany, coke drinkers can select between the names Antje, Heinz, Günter, Helga, Dietlinde, Margrethe, Torsten.

According to financial experts, the savvy onomastic strategy not only garnered new fans, it also raked in the bucks. In a report released by Entrepreneur, immediately, after the introduction of the “Share a Coke” campaign, corporate sales reportedly rose 2.5 percent, giving company officials quite a lot to smile about.

Find out if your name is on coke bottle.