Judicial principles and studies
Unifying Jurisprudence: Standing to Sue over a University's Trade Name or Its Owner
A brief summary examining whether a claim may properly name a university or the company owning its trade name, in light of Articles (3,4,12,23/b) of Jordanian Universities Law No. 18 of 2018 and its amendments.
Updated: 10 September 2026
Prepared and reviewed by: Ashraf Al-Khawaja
Subject
The study addresses whether it is proper to sue over a trade name attributed to a university or to the company that owns it, with reference to Articles (3,4,12,23/b) of Jordanian Universities Law No. 18 of 2018 and its amendments, which define the university's legal personality, financial and administrative independence, litigation rights, and representation.
Summary
Treating a claim as automatically proper against both the university and the owner is inconsistent with those statutory provisions, since the law accords the university an independent legal status and procedural/representational rights. Determining whether the university or the owner is the appropriate defendant depends on the factual and legal link between them and on how the dispute relates to that link; it does not mean they are the same legal person.
Practical significance
Identifying the correct defendant in trade-name disputes requires examining the university–owner relationship and the dispute's nexus to that relationship to decide who is legally competent to be sued. This is an educational summary only; it is not a judicial text or legal advice.
Sources and references
Verify the official text and latest amendments before relying on this material professionally.