Although Vivendi Universal Publishing (VUP) is waiting for EU competition regulators to approve its acquisition by maker of missiles and magazines Lagardère, it seems it can't wait to shed its old identity and the association with its former parent. Its new name was announced last week, while its future owner was waiting to hear from Brussels which bits of the publisher it will be allowed to keep.

Meanwhile, VUP's legal owner is still Banque Populaire, Lagardère's adviser, which also provided the funding and is carrying the target on behalf of its client until the regulatory hurdles are cleared.