Abstract
Onomastics as a branch of linguistics and academic discipline is concerned with a wide range of problems connected with proper names constituting the onomastic space of language. The new tendencies characterizing the development of onomastics indicate that the research in this area has broadened its scope and various categories of names that were not previously studied at present are in the focus of attention of scholars. It refers to commercial nomination orientated to obtaining profit and regarded as linguistic naming of institutions, enterprises and products. The present study deals with characteristics of verbal trademarks representing commercial nomination and considers methods used in linguistics to determine the degree of identity or difference of trademarks similar in sound form and graphics. The methodology of linguistic expertise is described on the example of the verbal trademarks АССУ (Cyrillic script letters) and A’SU (Latin script letters) used to name beverages produced in Kazakhstan. Keywords: Onomastics; linguistic expertise; commercial nomination; distinctiveness.