Are words such as “Confederation” or “Cantonal Government” free to use for anyone?
No. Official signs such as “Confederation” or “Cantonal Government” are protected. The same is true for designations referring to a sovereign activity, such as “police” or “court”. The trust which citizens have in such designations must be protected. Using these designations may not in any way be inappropriate or misleading and may not violate public morality or convention or be against current law. Thus, the Swiss National Association of Gymnastics will continue to be allowed to use the term “Federal gymnastics meet”. In contrast, the use of the term “police” is not permitted if the false impression could arise that the person using the designation is a police officer because, for instance, he is wearing a dark blue suit with white or yellow inscription “Police”.