PRAGUE -- The brother of a Czech minister has sought to corner the local market in trademarks by applying to register over 80 world-famous names, including eight foreign car makers, and even the prime minister's surnam, Klaus.


Marek Nemec, a local entrepreneur whose brother Igor is head of the Czech government office and a minister without portfolio, applied for the exclusive right to use the names of Audi, Chevrolet, Citroen, Jaguar, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Toyota and Volvo in the Czech Republic, according to publicly available records at the Trademark Registration Office.


"We have a whole series of his applications and they are being processed at the moment. They were submitted by Mr. Nemec but no decision has been taken on them as yet," Miroslav Kupka, head of the legal department of the Industrial Ownership Office, said on Tuesday.


The records show that Nemec also applied to register the name Klaus -- the surname of current Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus -- to corner any future marketing of specific "Klaus" textile products, such as ties, shoes, ribbons, buttons and threads.


Klaus is generally considered to be one of the best-dressed public figures in the Czech Republic, often sporting hand-made western fashions.


The Industrial Ownership Office has to process all trademark registration applications, which are displayed at the Registration Office.


"At the moment, he (Nemec) hasn't registered anything," Kupka said.


"I don't have to be ashamed of my activity -- any businessman can submit any amount of applications to register trademarks and in this way compete with prospective rivals," the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes quoted Nemec as saying Monday.


He said his numerous trademark applications formed part of his "business strategy" and had nothing to do with his brother's position in the government, the paper said.


Nemec was not immediately available for comment.


Under current law, it is relatively simple for Czechs to register a trademark in the domestic market as they have to meet few conditions and pay a fee of 3,000 crowns ($110) to register three groups of specific products or services.


Additional products not included in the original group cost an extra 300 crowns ($11).