Brothers in court over ‘Camilleri Cauchi’ surname

In an unusual case filed in the law courts, four brothers and their nephew fought over Aaron Camilleri Cauchi's amendment of his birth certificate, to use a double-barreled surname, when his uncles claimed this was detrimental to their occupation and reputation as artists.

Established Gozitan artists Paolo, Mario and Michael Camilleri - who for the past 60 years have been using 'Camilleri Cauchi' to sign their artworks - filed a judicial request against the Public Registry, as well as their brother Alfred Camilleri and his son Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, arguing that the surname change should not have been approved by the court, creating confusion as to the identity of the artists.

The three brothers said the distinguishing use of 'Camilleri Cauchi' as their artwork's signature was first used back in the 1950s by Paolo Camilleri, after he had been consistently mistaken for a neighbor of his.

Paolo's brothers Mario, Michael as well as Alfred - the defendant - also started using Camilleri Cauchi in their artworks, and the surname quickly became associated with the brothers and their artwork. Cauchi is their mother's maiden surname.

Additionally, Alfred's son Aaron - also an artist - has also been using the 'Camilleri Cauchi' signature for his work.

In 2012, the Civil Court allowed Aaron Camilleri to amend his birth certificate and change his surname legally to Camilleri Cauchi - but in line with Article 4(3) Civil Code, the change also affected his father's surname, now officially Alfred Camilleri Cauchi.

His brothers, the plaintiffs, are now disputing the civil court's decision because they claim that even if their brother was using the surname Camilleri Cauchi, the surname should not have been used by their children. "The change of Aaron's surname is not justified and should not subsist because the fact that his father was merely using it does not give Aaron the right to use it, and more seriously, it is leading to widespread confusion."

The applicants also argued that the use of 'Camilleri Cauchi' only pertains to the Camilleri brothers and not to their children, and that their nephew's surname change risked being detrimental to them and their work. "As a result of Aaron's surname change, the artists and the origins of art pieces can no longer be identified to their rightful artist but due to the fact that Aaron is now signing Camilleri Cauchi, there will be widespread confusion."

Lawyer Jean Paul Grech signed the judicial protest.