A person who is not a public company is guilty of an offence if he carries on any trade, profession or business under a name which includes, as its last part, the words “public limited company” or their equivalent in Welsh (“cwmni cyfyngedig cyhoeddus”).

A public company is guilty of an offence if, in circumstances in which the fact that it is a public company is likely to be material to any person, it uses a name which may reasonably be expected to give the impression that it is a private company.

A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (2) and, if that person is a company, any officer of the company who is in default, is liable to a fine and, for continued contravention, to a daily default fine.