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The Ottawa Athletic Club (OAC) has won a trademark dispute with the similarly named Athletic Club.

In a decision dated July 9, the Federal Court of Canada ruled the Athletic Club’s trademark “invalid” and permanently prohibited the club from using it.

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The decision has forced the Athletic Club — which operates 11 clubs in Ontario, including facilities in Orléans and at the Ottawa Train Yards — to delay the scheduled July 21 opening of its newest club in Kanata.

In an email this week, the management of the Kanata club told prospective members that due to the trademark decision, “we have been advised that we are not able to open for business until we address this matter.

“We are working diligently to make all the necessary changes and are currently designing a new logo and trademark and will be presenting this to the courts for approval within the week,” the email says.

Shane Fallowfield, a spokesman for the Athletic Club, said Thursday the club was preparing an update on the situation, but it hadn’t issued anything by 6 p.m.