Aubrey McClendon, ousted chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, cannot be accused of depriving investors and other interested parties of reasons to sue, or at least question the legality of his actions. So this begs the question: why go after him for naming his company American Energy Partners?
Several news sources have reported that American Energy Corp., an Ohio-based mining company, has filed suit against McClendon over the company name. “Clearly, Mr. McClendon, who was ousted from his prior post at Chesapeake Energy, is attempting to cause confusion in the marketplace and further his goal of eliminating the use of coal in America,” according to an American Energy Corp. press release.
McClendon, who is suing for the right to continue using the name, probably could have come up with a more creative moniker for his new firm. And he does have a history of going after coal.
But a perfunctory google search indicates that his is not the only company to use “American Energy” in some way.
Here are some more:
- American Energy Corporation: Mary;and-based provider of energy assessments for buildings
- New American Energy Corp.: Nevada-based mineral exploration company
- American Home Energy Corporation: an energy efficiency auditing and retrofitting company that seems to have snagged the website www.americanenergycorporation.com.
- Houston American Energy Corp.: An oil & gas exploration and production company that operates in Louisiana, Texas and northern Colombia
- American Energy Solutions: A Kansas-based energy management consultancy
- Energy Corporation of America: an oil and gas exploration and production company with operations throughout the US and in New Zealand
For more on Aubrey McClendon’s new ventures, see Aubrey McClendon Not Done Delighting Us
