What are the main considerations when choosing a business name?
Distinctive names are easy to remember and easier to protect legally. A descriptive name can tell people immediately what you do and may be more memorable. Many businesses with multiple business interests have a family of names – for example, Virgin Records, Virgin Radio, Virgin Direct. But your name should not be the same as, or similar to, a name being used by another business, especially if they are in the same industry or geographical area. Back to top • How can I find out if someone else is already using the business name I want? Companies House can tell you if a business has registered your name as a UK limited company; the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) can tell you if a name is registered as a UK trade mark. You can check for names registered as domain names at www.nominet.org.uk for UK domain names and www.internic.com for .com domain names. There may be business or brand names in use in your market that have not been registered. Search for identical or similar names
