[Above: Michelle Obama at the Inaugural Ball in Washington on Jan 21, wearing a Jason Wu creation.]

TAIPEI - An attempt by fashion designer Jason Wu to register a brand in his native Taiwan was rejected on the same day Michelle Obama appeared at a Washington inaugural ball wearing one of his creations.

New York-based Wu, who also designed the gown worn by the US First Lady at her husband's first inauguration in 2009, was told by Taiwan's Intellectual Property Court on Monday that his brand - "Miss Wu" - was not special enough.

"Even though he is a celebrity, the problem still needs to be looked at from a legal point of view," Lee Teh-tsao, spokesman for the court, told reporters Tuesday.

Lee explained that Wu is a common surname in Taiwan and therefore could not become a copyright-protected brand.

The ruling sparked uproar in the local fashion industry, with designer Chen Sun-hua calling it "absurd" and "rude to the fashion sector."

But Wang Mei-hua, director of the Intellectual Property Office, suggested Wu may get approval if he files an application again later.

"Approval is likely if he tries again this year with more evidence showing 'Miss Wu' has been accepted as a brand by local consumers," she said.