Name changes due to the Islamic State


The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, often abbreviated as "ISIL" and pronounced as such — is a militant Islamist terrorist group. It is also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham, abbreviated as "ISIS" or sometimes simplified as Islamic State only — which has caused name changes to distinguish other entities from the group.

Software

Business

  • In 2013, a Belgian chocolate manufacturer previously known as Italo Suisse changed its name to ISIS. But in 2014 — it changed the name again to Libeert after a decline in sales, mainly in the Anglophone world. The company was founded in 1923 and had only been called ISIS for a year.
  • A British private equity firm changed its name from ISIS Equity Partners to Livingbridge to distance itself from the group.
  • In 2014, a Chicago business owner renamed her store from ISIS to My Sister's Circus after people began taking pictures of her store's sign and harassing her sales staff.
  • In Queens, New York, the owner of ISIS Nails renamed the salon Bess Nails and Spa because of harassment. The salon's revenue had declined by approximately 30 percent.
  • In 2015, Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. — a pharmaceutical company based in California, originally named after an Ancient Egyptian goddess. After observing relevant drop in stock and to avoid confusion, the company finally decided to change its name to Ionis Pharmaceuticals.
  • Automobile performance part manufacturer ISIS Performance changed its name to ISR Performance after using it for six years to remove the negative connotation with its name. The change took place on November 17, 2015.
  • The Danish dessert company ISIS changed their name to EASIS, citing the "political connotations" of their name would have on primarily export markets.
  • An Australian fit-out and refurbishment company changed its name to SHAPE, to coincide with the "best interests" of those involved with their business.
  • In June 2016, Finnish translation agency Isis Translations changed its name to Pauhu Ltd. to avoid denial of service attacks and problems with bank and PayPal payments.

Organisations

Transportation

  • The former ISIS InterCity train of the Hungarian national railway company MÁV-START — originally named after an Ancient Egyptian goddess — was renamed to Ízisz on 31 August 2015, reflecting the Hungarian spelling of the same word. The train was further renamed to Borostyánkő on 13 December 2015, distancing it completely from its original name.

Entertainment

  • The FX animated series Archer — first aired in 2009, revolves around the fictional International Secret Intelligence Service. In 2014, the sixth season of the show began with the characters being told that they now work for the CIA. Merchandise based on the fictional ISIS was withdrawn.
  • A French rock band changed their name from Isis Child to Angel's Whisper as the attention on ISIL had overshadowed them on search engines. An American band named Isis, which was disbanded in 2010, changed their Facebook name to "Isis the band" to avoid confusion. Some fans suggested that the band should change their name completely.
  • In December 2015, the name of the spaceship browser in the online multiplayer video game EVE Online was changed from "Interbus Ship Identification System" to "Ship Tree".
  • Japanese light novel, manga, anime series Infinite Stratos also sometimes sparked controversy because its abbreviated name was "IS" — which sometimes confused with the Islamic State.
  • In the multiplayer online battle arena video game Smite, developer Hi-Rez Studios renamed the playable goddess Isis to original Ancient Egyptian name, Eset — citing concerns of demonetization on video platforms.

Given names

  • An Australian woman who named her daughter Isis after the ancient Egyptian goddess stated it caused a rift in her family because the name is "now synonymous with terrorism and evil". An American woman named Isis initiated an online petition for the media to stop referring to ISIL as ISIS.
  • In April 2015, the World Meteorological Organization removed Isis from its list for the 2016 Pacific hurricane season, replacing it with "Ivette".

Contested attribution

  • The British television series Downton Abbey featured a dog named Isis after the ancient Egyptian goddess, who became ill with cancer in the show around the same time as other entities sought to distance themselves from ISIL/ISIS. The dog was ultimately replaced with a new one, this time named Tiye, after the eponymous queen of Egypt. While the show's primary director Julian Fellowes acknowledged the connection, lead actor Hugh Bonneville repudiated claims that the dog was being killed off due to its name, saying "Anyone who genuinely believes the series five storyline involving the animal was a reaction to recent world news is a complete berk." ITV called the name an "unfortunate coincidence".