Name of its Business

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Posted in: Business Article in betterbusiness's Blog

There are more names for your business just to get something that sounds good and you like. Thought to be given to state and local requirements and make sure it does not violate the rights of another person's name.

Legal Requirements and Consequences
Choose a name for your business requires more than creativity and knowledge of your target market. You should first decide which business structure you will use, since each structure has its own peculiarities. For example, many states require a sole proprietor to use their own name for the business name unless they formally file another name as a trade name or fictitious name. Read more about How does the structure of Business Business Names.

Similarly, you need to determine if your business name is the same as the full legal name of your business. Equally important is whether your name or a similar name is being used by another company, and if so, what rights they may or may not have to use the name in the area in which to do business. Note that some businesses only file trademarks within their locality, so it is possible that the same name can be used elsewhere. Here is some information on Trademark FAQ.

Search and Registration
Trade names can be registered through the offices of the Secretary of State, and for greater protection of the market through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO Trademark Search). Businesses should first use the USPTO's online system to search all state and federal trademark registers to see if their proposed name is being used.

Domain Names
For many companies operating in the Web, trade names are synonymous with domain names such as Amazon.com and Monster.com. Domain names are not registered through state or local government, but are available online through many companies, most of which allow you to perform a name search prior to purchase to ensure that the name is not chosen.