Orsted A/S : wins right to stick with 19th century physicist's name

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish energy group Orsted has won a dispute with descendants of scientist Hans Christian Orsted over the legal right to use his name, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The company changed its name from DONG Energy - short for Danish Oil and Natural Gas - to Orsted in 2017, saying it was a celebration of the 19th century Danish physicist, after a switch from fossil fuels to being the world's largest developer of offshore wind farms.

"We believe that Orsted is the right name for our company, and we're pleased that the Danish Supreme Court hasupheld our right to use the name," Chief Executive Henrik Poulsen said in a statement.

The great-great-grandchild of the physicist, Soren Peter Orsted, said in 2018 that the energy company taking up the name Orsted was an insult to the physicist, as he had always strived to stay out of commercial business.

(Reporting by Tim Barsoe; Editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Nick Macfie)