Adelaide radio David and Goliath battle hits Federal court

What's in a name? It seems quite a lot if you're known as Radio Adelaide.

The community station has claimed the ABC is trying to steal its name and its listeners, and so a David and Goliath battle between the broadcasters has hit the Federal court.

Radio Adelaide is trying to stop the ABC’s national re-branding roll-out on January 9, which would see 891 ABC Adelaide change to ABC Radio Adelaide.

“The ABC, through its proposed re-branding, is going to infringe my client's rights to use that name,” Radio Adelaide’s lawyer Paul Gordon told 7 News.

“We're trying to show that both the use of the words “radio Adelaide” by ABC would be misleading or deceptive and also that their use would breach the trademark owned by Radio Adelaide.

“We've got a small community radio station fighting against a national monolith."

The Radio Adelaide trademark was only registered a few days ago.

In court the ABC argued the words “radio” and “Adelaide” were merely descriptive.

ABC barrister Mark Douglas said the two words were "the most generic term imaginable" and called the community station's case "weak and speculative".

Mr Gordon responded, saying that might have been the case in 2001 when the community broadcaster started using the name Radio Adelaide.

“But since then there's been a significant reputation built up in those words “radio” and “Adelaide” that goes beyond merely describing what it is," he said.

The battle comes less than a year after Radio Adelaide saw off the threat of closure, with Educational Broadcasters Australia officially became its new owner this week.

Justice Natalie Charlesworth, a former journalist with both stations, will make a decision on the injunction on Friday.