LONDON (AFP) - US property tycoon Donald Trump has fallen foul of ancient Scottish heraldic law for failing to register a coat of arms to promote a luxury golf resort he hopes to build, British media said Saturday.

The Court of the Lord Lyon, which deals with Scottish heraldry, has launched an inquiry into Trump's use of the design, which has appeared on promotional material for the complex in north-east Scotland.

Newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and The Scotsman, quoted Elizabeth Roads, the Lyon clerk, as saying the arms -- which include lions, a knight's helmet and a spear-wielding fist -- had not been registered.

"I understand that the procurator fiscal (Scotland's prosecuting body) to the Lyon Court is at present looking into the use of what may be heraldic designs by this organisation," she said.

"At present no formal action has been taken concerning this design."

The Lyon Court, which dates back to the 14th century and requires all coats of arms to be registered, charges about 900 pounds (1,202 euros, 1,765 dollars) to register a shield and more than 1,300 pounds for adding a crest.

A spokesman for Trump said his organisation was in the process of registering the arms with the court.

Trump's plans for the one-billion-pound complex near Aberdeen have hit the rough as a local farmer is refusing to move from his land on the proposed site.