Effective January 2, 2002, Sage Software products will need new names, due to an injunction that has been brought against Sage Group plc, the company that owns the accounting software programs, banning the company from using the name.

Confusion arose between software owned by Quick Technologies (QTI) and marketed under the Sage name, and the accounting software programs known collectively as Sage Software. QTI has been providing business software, including accounting products, using a Sage trademark since 1992. The Sage Group, which has operated in the United Kingdom since 1981, did not begin branding its product in the United States until the late 1990s.

Sage Group admits that the Sage name is “one of the company’s strongest and most valuable assets.” Nevertheless, QTI prevailed in court and Sage Group will have to deal with the consequences.

Sage has over 200,000 US customers, less than 10 percent of its worldwide business. The company markets the products Sage MAS 90, Sage Enterprise Suite, Sage BusinessWorks, and Sage DacEasy. The company recently acquired Platinum for Windows, which was to be marketed as “Platinum for Windows by Sage.” A company spokesperson indicated that, although the corporate name can still be used on software packaging, the names of the programs will have to change.