  USE OF CERTAIN WORDS (REGULATION) ġ CAP. 277.        1
CHAPTER 277
USE OF CERTAIN WORDS (REGULATION) ACT 
To control and regulate the use of certain words.
(1st November, 1978) *
Enacted by ACT XXII of 1978, as amended by Acts: XIII of 1983 and XII
of 1990.
Short title.
(Regulation) Act.
Prohibition of the 
use of the words 
Malta and nation in 
certain cases. 
Amended by: 
XIII.1983.5; 
XII. 1990.2.
2. (1) With effect from the coming into force of this Act it
shall not be lawful for any person to use or to continue to use any
word or words as part of the name of a company or other
partnership, or of a firm or business, or of any organization,
association or other body of persons, or as part of a trade-mark or
similar device, or as the name or title of any printed matter,
whereby any person may be led to believe that such person,
company, partnership, firm, business, organisation or association,
is acting for or on behalf of the Government of Malta or that the
product on which the trademark or similar device is affixed or the
printed matter emanates from the Government of Malta.
(2) Where it appears to the Prime Minister that any name,
trademark or similar device or title is in contravention of
subsection (1) of this section, the Prime Minister may, without
prejudice to the provisions of subsections (4), (5) and (6) of this
section, order any person to change such name, trademark or
similar device, or title within fifteen days from the receipt of such
order.
(3) Any person aggrieved by an order issued in terms of
subsection (2) of this section shall have a right to appeal therefrom
by an application to the Court of Appeal within the said period of
fifteen days from the receipt of such order, and upon the filing of
such application, the said court may in its discretion direct that the
order appealed from shall not have effect unless and until it is
confirmed by the said court.
(4) Any person who contravenes the provisions of subsection
(1) of this section or fails to comply with an order by the Prime
Minister or the decision of the Court of Appeal, as the case may be,
shall be guilty of an offence, and shall on conviction, be liable to a
fine ( multa ) of not less than ten liri and of not more than five
hundred liri and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine
( multa ) of not less than one lira and not more than ten liri for each
day during which the offence has continued.
* See  subsection (2) of section 1 of the Act as originally enacted, which subsection has
been omitted under the Statute Law Revision Act, 1980.
  2      CAP. 277. ħ         USE OF CERTAIN WORDS (REGULATION)
Cap. 248.
(5) For the purposes of this Act, the expression "printed
matter" and "publication", and their grammatical derivatives or
variations, have the same meaning as is assigned to them by section
2 of the Press Act.
(6) Proceedings under this Act may not be instituted except
with the consent of the Attorney General.
