At the Beitou Yangming campus of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, the school's full Chinese name is prominently displayed at the entrance, along with its English pinyin. The university, formed by the merger of National Chiao Tung University and National Yang Ming University in 2021, received approval from the Ministry of Education to use the abbreviation 'NYCU' and registered it as a trademark in the United States. However, this abbreviation has recently sparked controversy.

Student Chen remarked, "It's a bit silly that NYU, such a well-known school, would raise an objection just based on the similarity of abbreviations." Another student, Wu, insisted, "NYCU and NYU are different names." The situation unfolded when New York University filed an objection against 'NYCU' during the public display period of the trademark application, claiming that the abbreviations were too similar and could cause confusion.

University President Lin Chi-hung responded, "Our Chinese name is National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and we use NYCU in English. Our main concern was with the City University of New York, which is abbreviated as CUNY, and they had no objections, believing the difference was significant enough." The university emphasized that the intention behind the trademark registration in the U.S. is to promote global education, not to offer university courses there, and they have already submitted a response to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, awaiting a decision.

Attorney Gao Hongming explained, "The most important aspect of a trademark is that it allows consumers to identify the source of goods and services. NYU is a very famous school acronym and has high recognition; therefore, confusion is unlikely in the local market." A lawyer familiar with intellectual property rights stated that, based on Taiwan's practical experience, the two abbreviations differ by only one letter, and there have been no cases of confusion between the two institutions, indicating a low likelihood of confusion. However, final determinations must adhere to U.S. trademark laws.