King Charles’s Australian alma mater unsuccessfully sought to trademark name ‘deceptively similar’ to other brands

Geelong grammar school had argued the name of its Timbertop program was substantially similar to the word ‘Timbertot’, although another childcare service also used the name ‘Timber Tots’. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

One of Australia’s most exclusive private schools has cited former student King Charles III in a failed bid to trademark the phrase “Timbertot” for its early learning centres, despite a childcare centre using a similar name.

Geelong grammar school lodged an application to trademark “Timbertot” across a range of education material for its early learning program at its Corio and Toorak campuses in Victoria.