back to article Swedes decline to FCKU2MF

A Stockholm chap will not be inviting fellow motorists to FCKU2MF, after the Swedish Transport Agency, aka Transportstyrelsen, told him to take his vanity numberplate application and eff right off. Swedes have been able to apply for personalised plates since 2000, but the 6,000 kronor (£530) statements "may not be formed in …

COMMENTS

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  1. Gav

    We need these!

    This is a pity, as vanity licence plates like this perform the same function as t-shirts with similar messages. They forewarn everyone that the driver/wearer is an enormous a*s*ole, before they have the unpleasant experience of engaging with them.

    They perform a very real social function and it's just fortunate that the a*s*oles in question haven't figured out what it is yet. We should be encouraging more of this. Not less.

  2. peyton?
    Happy

    Offensive plates should be allowed

    But only if they're clever ;)

    http://www.dailyfork.com/2009/04/i_love_tofu_license_plate_deem.php

    1. Spot the Cat
      Go

      Or slightly amusing.

      Some years ago I was following a Volvo estate down a quiet Norfolk lane at about 20 mph.. Slightly bizarrely, given the type of car and the location, its number plate was SPL 1F Or maybe not bizarrely at all,

    2. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
      Happy

      haha

      Reminds me of why Expert's Exchange added a hyphen into their URL.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    @Gav

    Well said - couldn't agree more!

    On the subject of stupid personal plates, as far as I am concerned the worst are the ones that state what car it is that they are attached to (AMG350, BM M3, 911, CSI 630, et cetera).

    Stupid, since the people who would know what it means already knows the model before seeing the plates, making it redundant (and just confirming that the owner is a twit) whilst those who don't know does not care in any case, making it redundant (and just confirming that the owner is a twit).

    1. Olafthemighty
      Go

      I agree. And I don't.

      While I agree in general with you about just stating what vehicle you have on the number plate, a Jeep Wrangler with the plate:

      J333 EEP

      did make me smile!

      1. Kobus Botes

        @Olafthemighty

        Clever ones are excusable (there is always an exception). One I liked was ADRI on an Audi A3.

        This needs some explanation, though: Adri is (predominantly) a lady's name, and in Afrikaans A3 is pronounced A-drie, which sounds the same as Adri.

  4. JaitcH
    WTF?

    Canadian provinces have a huge list ...

    of letter/number combo's deemed unsuitable for vanity plates.

    The list was published in response to a freedom of information and reveals the ingenuity that is used to devise combinations. Two - INVALID and NOT VALID were approved as there is a separate check box on infraction tickets to indicate cancelled tickets.

    It also reveals the dirty thoughts of civil servants enforcing these things.

    Ontario requests will not be approved if they are determined to be objectionable under the following criteria:

    -Sexual

    Sexual messaging or meaning.

    -Abusive, Obscene Language and Derogatory Slang

    Abusive, vulgar, derogatory, obscene or profane language;

    Known offensive slang in any language, text-messaging language etc.

    -Religion

    Religious meaning or messaging.

    Only the use of Religious titles that are considered formal designations of persons within the religion are permitted.

    -Drugs/Alcohol

    Reference to the use of or sale of legal or illegal drugs;

    Effects of drugs or alcohol;

    Alcohol-related words, including brands.

    -Political Figures, Dignitaries/Law Enforcement Officials

    Political opinion, slurs, affiliation or organizations are prohibited except non-profit advocacy groups/trade organizations;

    Negative or derogatory message or meaning with respect to government;

    Falsely suggesting association with a public institution and/or law enforcement;

    Reference to well-known figures or names;

    Badge numbers of police officers.

    -Violence/Criminal Activity

    Messages or meanings that could be associated with violence, as well as promoting discrimination or bias against individuals;

    Illegal or criminal activity of any kind.

    -Human Rights Discrimination

    Messages that express contempt, ridicule or superiority of race, religion, ethnic origin, ancestry, place of origin, citizenship, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, physical characteristics, disability or political affiliation.

    -Clarity and Readability for Law Enforcement Officials

    Plate selections that are deemed to lack clarity or would be difficult to read. This also includes combinations with:

    No more than 4 identical characters in sequence;

    Interchangeable letters/numbers are not allowed (i.e. S/5, A/4, G/6, Q/O);

    For example, if a plate has been issued with an “S” in its combination and an identical plate request is submitted substituting the “S” with a “5”, that plate will not be approved.

    -Graphic + Characters

    Any combination of graphics and characters that together could be determined to be objectionable under the above criteria or violate the contract with a Graphic Partner.

    -Intellectual Property (such as trademarks)

    Infringement of intellectual property rights such as trademarks;

    The characters on a plate must not infringe on any third party intellectual property rights such as trademarks. It is your responsibility to check that the characters on the plate do not infringe upon any intellectual property rights.

    Not much left!

    1. Richard Porter
      Paris Hilton

      @JaitcH

      What happens in Canade if you already have a numer plate, and then a political figure or celebrity emerges whose name makes it unacceptable?

      Paris because seh'd have PAR 1S

  5. Patrick 17

    E II R

    I remember in NZ one guy managed to register "E II R" (with that spacing) based on the initials of his name, Eric Rice.

    It wasn't until later when there were complaints the numberplate people realised the significance of it.

    1. Gareth.

      Huh...?

      I am being a bit slow today, so can you explain this one to me? What's offensive about it?

      1. Gavin King

        Re:Huh?

        I don't think that you're being slow, just not looking in the right direction.

        We in the land of the short, flightless bird with funny feathers have the same Queen as you: Elizabeth II , or ERII, or if you design the old post boxes, E II R.

        And since he isn't the Queen, it might be inappropriate, no?

        That's the idea, at least I think so.

        Or though really I should say "...you have the same Queen as us:..."

      2. bsop
        Boffin

        E II R

        I'm American, so I shouldn't actually know either....

        Nevertheless...

        E II R is the accepted acronym referring to Elizabeth II Regina (Queen of Great Britain) and is used as a brand image for royally approved products. Or something like that.

        Alternatively, EIIR is the abbreviation for a think tank - the European Institute of Interdisciplinary Research - which may also be a bit precious about the "branding", but probably with less money and political influence. :-)

        bsop

      3. DrJaymansLoveCookie

        He's a programmer

        if(E || R)

    2. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
      WTF?

      E II R

      I, on the other hand, have just had coffee and thus, am not too slow today. I still fail to see what's offensive about this. Please explain.

  6. Arthur Jackson
    Coat

    Doctor Doctor

    On my daily amble in to work I am passed by a car with the plate TIB 1A

    I guess the guy must work at Poole Hospital, and his missus probably has FIB 1A

    < the white one with the stethoscope in the pocket

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Reminds me of the medical joke told me by my ex:

      How can you tell which car in the car park belongs to the orthopaedic surgeon?

      It's the Ferrari, but the one with the Beano on the front seat.

      (Orthopaedic surgeons are generally considered by other doctors to be less skilled, since the tools of ther trade tend to have the words 'Black and Decker' on the side).

  7. Cunningly Linguistic

    ISTR...

    ...that Fiona Richmond once famously had a Jag with FU2 which once made the tabloid headlines

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I saved a shitload of money on personal plates

    By changing my name to Mr EFN 934L.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Saw a nice one in new zealand

    A toyota hilux with BUGGER on the plate. It's not so much the word as the association with the hilux tv ads. You can find them on youtube if you're interested.

  10. LuMan
    Stop

    Humbug!

    I once emailed an online number-plate service to ask if they had P155 OFF on their books. I got a huge email back explaining why they didn't.

    Can't help thinking a simple 'no' would've sufficed.

    -STOP icon 'cos everyone with a personalised plate really should.

    1. Chrome

      @Humbug!

      There's a car knocking about round here that either has P15 0FF or P15 0F (I can't quite remember)

      Also we have a B05Y MOO and a B16 JRK

      Accurate assessments from those last 2 I'm guessing...

  11. This post has been deleted by its author

  12. Daniel B.
    Pint

    Regular plates actually screw up sometimes

    There was a pic doing its rounds on the internet a couple of years ago from Florida. The plate number was

    A55 RGY

    which would usually have no offensive meaning ... except that that particular Florida plate had a big orange between the two letter groups, so it actually reads:

    A55 ORGY

    Whoops!

  13. Dr Insanity
    Paris Hilton

    Subtle

    But what about the ones that look perfectly innocent unless you read them out allowed, or are fluent in txt:

    NE14 ABJ?

    Paris... she would be

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Also seen....

      RU2BZ46

    2. Ken Hagan Gold badge

      Not so subtle

      I saw 4 COF once. Clearly UK civil servants are less fastidious about this sort of thing.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Computer related plates

    N.I. plates of particular interest to the el reg readership:

    The "GUI" plates eg. GUI 1234

    Once saw a Toyota with "IOI 1010" spaced as if it was binary.

    Once was tempted by L5NUX or L18NUX, except for the cost.

    And for the very rich Linux geek, L1NUX was on their books for approx £120k

  15. Marty McFly Silver badge

    Get a mirror

    3M TA3 was approved for a long time....until someone saw it behind them.

    1. Scott 26
      Thumb Up

      and.....

      there is a courier driver in Wellington, NZ, with the plate THIZ H0

  16. Dan Hall

    SUX2BU

    My all-time favorite :-)

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Way back when ...

    There was a woman where I grew up with the license plate IM NOT. Didn't make much sense on its own. But her husband was Norwegian or something like that, his name was Od (or was it Odd?), so his plate was IM ODD. Kinda cute ...

  18. John H Woods Silver badge

    B10JOB

    or something that looked like it ... seen on the M40

  19. Fremma

    NZ Personalised Plates

    As a number of comments have already suggested, NZ has an active personalised plate market - at personalisedplates.co.nz you'll be suprised to hear - and unlike the Canadian three page list above, the only requirements are a maximum of six characters and / or numbers and "not likely to offend" which, as evidenced from BUGGER, is rather liberally interpreted.

  20. Clyde

    E II R not accurate

    "E II R is the accepted acronym referring to Elizabeth II Regina (Queen of Great Britain)"

    Not exactly accurate.

    The present queen is Elizabeth II of England, as there was a previous Elizabeth back in the 1500s.

    But technically only the First of the United Kingdom of Great Britain (etc) as the UK only came into being after the death of Elizabeth the first. (Through the child of Mary Queen of Scots whom Elizabeth had killed - perfect irony).

    Hence the long campaign of blowing up letter boxes with EIIR early in the 1950s, and hence why you see most older letter boxes in Scotland still showing the king George lettering.

  21. Alan Esworthy

    Late

    I'm late to this thread but I offer these for the amusement of anyone still reading.

    c. 1975: California plate 4NIC8

    c. 1985: two matching baby blue Volkswagen bugs on a U.S. Interstate, with the gag-making plates IYQ and IYQ2

    c. 2005: (Spanish speakers will get this one) California plate in San Francisco on a pink convertible, driver with pink hair and mustache:

    VA N Q LO

  22. Dave Wallace

    Even later

    Gimme the make & color of the vehicles sporting the following California plates.

    BAA BAA

    ML8 ML8 (and the model as well)

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Regularly see a bright pink VW beetle, reg P1 NNK

    And I'd swear about 12 months ago I saw a Ford estate with reg S4 TAN.

  24. kelbag

    Even later

    Best one I've seen driving past City Of Manchester staduim was a very expensive looking Range Rover with the plate T055A.

    Must have been one of the players

  25. CharlieBoY
    FAIL

    BMW...

    There's a BMW that lives near me which has blacked out windows, huge alloys and the reg as B1FTA. If that's not asking to be stopped I don't know what is!

  26. Jos
    Happy

    right

    It was an Aussie radio presenter a while back who said (I probably don't have to quote all right): "driving around and seeing all these vanity plates made me realize there's hundreds of different ways to spell WANKER!"

    Good one ;-)

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    H20 RNY

    H20 RNY seen that on a honda civic up in Glasgow.

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