The owner of a rowing enterprise is embroiled in a contentious legal battle with Cambridge University over the use of the city’s name in his company’s title.

Omar Terywall, 46, launched Cambridge Rowing, a business that offers beginners the chance to learn rowing on the River Cam.

In January 2022, Terywall sought to trademark his company’s name and logo. However, several months later, Cambridge University’s authorities formally objected, insisting they need to safeguard their trademarks against potential misuse.

Terywall expressed his frustration, stating, “The idea of claiming ownership over the words ‘Cambridge’ and ‘rowing’ is simply absurd.”

He further argued, “No one singularly possesses the right to the name ‘Cambridge’ or the term ‘rowing.’ These words are part of the public domain.”

In a conversation with the BBC, Terywall emphasized, “Our company is named Cambridge Rowing Limited, and it offers a genuine Cambridge rowing experience. It’s who we are and what we do.”

A hearing was held in 2025 and a ruling is expected early this year.

Omar Terywall at the City of Cambridge Rowing Club, which is not run by the university

The university, which was founded in 1209, has registered ‘Cambridge’ as a trademark, including for ‘sporting and cultural activities’ and ‘sport camp services’.

Downing College, which is part of the university, also holds a trademark for ‘Cambridge Rowing Tank’, an indoor training facility which has two 10-tonne pools.

The university – which takes part in an annual boat race against Oxford University each year – has objected to previous attempts by other companies to use ‘Cambridge’ in their names.

It argues that ‘the public knows that in the contexts of education, publishing, sport, academia and research, the word “Cambridge” always refers to the University of Cambridge’.

In 2021, following an objection, it was ruled that a brewery could not register ‘Cambridge Blue’ as the name of a boat race-themed lager.

The hearing officer in that case said the name could give the ‘false message that the goods had been authorised, recommended or approved of’ by Cambridge University, which would give the brewery an ‘unfair advantage’.

Mr Terywall said the university’s latest legal challenge left him with ‘no idea where to turn’, because while it is a ‘huge, multi-billion-pound entity’, he operates a ‘very small local business’.

He said: ‘It’s terrifying when you’ve got a big organisation like them coming after you… I guess, yes, there is a form of bullying there.’

The company operates from the City of Cambridge Rowing Club, one of several ‘town clubs’ in the area not run by the university.

It applied to register its logo – which includes a shield with a rower and the name of the company – in several trademark classes, including the one that covers sports.

The university said that it was ‘often subject to fraudulent actors misrepresenting their association to the university’.

It added: ‘While we recognise this is not the intention in every case, we have to protect trademarks to prevent misuse. If there is no protection, fraudulent use would increase.’

Mr Terywall said that he would not be changing his company’s name. ‘That would imply that I’ve done something wrong, and I haven’t,’ he said.

He added that the city was ‘very proud of what the university has achieved in Cambridge’. He said: ‘They’ve done remarkably well, but Cambridge existed way before the university did, as did rowing.’

The earliest known depiction of a rowing boat dates from about 5,800 BC and was discovered in Finland, according to World Rowing, the international governing body for the sport.