The legal name of a company is the official name of a business entity appearing on incorporation documents filed and submitted to the state. A legal name can be changed by submitting an amendment to the company`s incorporation documents. It`s also a good idea to see if anyone else in your industry already has a name similar to the one you want to use. You can do this by searching for search terms related to your industry and brand. You can choose a different business name to stand out from the rest. The legal name of an LLC or corporation is the official name used when you register with the state to form your LLC or business. It appears on your incorporation document (p.B. articles of association or certificate of organization). This name must meet the state`s business unit designation requirements for LLCs and businesses. The registration of the acceptance name is not limited to sole proprietorships. Suppose Robert founds Sunrise Properties, Inc. and decides to start a garden maintenance company that uses a different name. In this case, Sunrise Properties, Inc.
may register “Sunrise Lawn Services” as an accepted name. This would be “Sunrise Properties, Inc., dba Sunrise Lawn Services”. A DTA can be submitted by any of the business structures covered in this article. However, filing an LLC and corporation may sometimes differ from filing for sole proprietorships and partnerships in some states. A more complex and generally more expensive way to register a company name is to register the name as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. You can change the legal name of your company or LLC as many times as you want, but the new name must meet the same legal requirements as the original legal name. And for the name change to be effective, a submission to the state must be made – usually either the articles of the change or a certificate of the name change. If the company or LLC qualifies in a foreign state, a change or change in the name application must also be made there to notify those states of the change. Domain names are registered by The Internet Corporation for the names and numbers assigned to approved registrars. Because the registration process is centralized, domain names are different from trademarks and trade names, as the rightful owner of the domain name can usually prevent someone else from using it without filing a lawsuit.
However, anyone can buy the same domain name with a different top-level domain. For example, if you own the domain name myrtlesturtles.com, other people or companies can usually buy myrtlesturtles.org or myrtlesturtles.net. Check out our country-specific registries and company name guides to find out how to register a company name: If Robert wishes to continue operating as a sole proprietorship, he may be able to register the name “Sunrise Properties” as an accepted name. Robert could then use the name “Sunrise Properties”. To register a name for an LLC, the process matches the name of the company in most aspects. A key difference is that the name should include one of the following: naming your limited liability company (LLC) or business is more than choosing the perfect name for your business. You should also ensure that the name complies with the state LLC or corporate law before forming your LLC or business. Determining the best way to protect your business name will consider how you choose to structure your business, the type of goods or services you offer, and the geographic scope of your business. Here are twelve things to keep in mind when choosing or changing your business name.
Filing a DBA (Doing Business As) allows your existing or new company to do business under a name other than the legal name of your company. This can be useful for establishing a brand name or changing the name of a business without having to file an amendment to an original application. Conversely, a business name can be an entirely new name that is more eye-catching, helps show what your business does, and sounds more professional. An example would be a marketing company that wants to prove its skills by developing a creative business name instead of using the owner`s name. Name verification prevents a state from rejecting your documents because the name is not available when you try to form or form an LLC. But remember, a name check simply tells you that the name is available at the time you perform the verification. It does not “hold” your name or guarantee that you will have it. If there is a delay before you are ready to submit your incorporation or incorporation documents, you should consider a name reservation. This brings us to our next point. If you want to market your product or service across national or international borders, you must also apply for federal trademark protection. Registering your company name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will inform the entire country that the name is already taken and will make it easier to defend your company`s name against infringers. Registering a company name is part of the LLC filing process: Once your LLC is filed in the state, your name will be registered.
While the name can be reserved in advance, this is usually not required to file an LLC. After choosing a business name for your new business, you need to register it to prevent others from using it. There are several ways to achieve this. The cost of registering a company name depends on your needs and your state`s filing fee to reserve a company name, start a business, file a permanent contract, or file a legal change in your company`s name. Select your status from the drop-down menu above to see the status-specific things you need to do to register your company name. The legal name of your company is the legal name of the company or the person who owns it. If you are the sole owner of your business, the legal name is your full legal name. If your business is organized as a partnership, its legal name is the name specified in your partnership agreement. If your company is registered as a corporation, LLC, or limited partnership, its legal name is the name registered with your state depository authority. When a corporation is incorporated as an LLC, it must have some form of “limited liability company” in its legal name. These include abbreviations such as “LLC”, “llc” or “l.l.c”. An LLC or limited liability company is the easiest way to structure your business to protect your personal assets in case your business is sued.
LLCs require unique names that must meet certain naming requirements, here are some common ones: Trademark, trade name, or service mark protection may be available nationally. Registration requirements vary from state to state. .