How to Own a Business Name

Claiming and selecting business names is one of the crucial parts of setting up a business. This is what most of the individuals involved in this industry say. In this undertaking, you must choose a name which will convey the uniqueness as well as the value of the services and the products that you are going to sell.

This is according to the Entrepreneur Magazine.

Business names can either be abstract or descriptive and informative. But whatever the case may be, you will need to ascertain that there are no other company which has also chose and registered the same name that you have been brainstorming. Here is the typical step by step process of owning a business name.

Surf the Net

First step that you will take is to go online and search the USPTO.gov. This is the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s official website. Once there, choose the section indicating “Trademarks”. Then you will have to click the “Search Marks”. Next is for you to choose search option. You will have to type a name which you would like to register for your upcoming business establishment and then hit the button indicating “Search”. This is to know if that name that you have typed in is already at the disposal of a current business venture. Once the results are in, see if there are “Live” indicated in “Live/Dead” column. If there is, then the trademark having the same business name that you want still exists. Therefore, you will have to think of another one.

DBA and Fictitious Names

The next step that you will do is to go to the official website of your country or state where the business registration as well as filings is being cone. There are several states that require the registration of the business names by way of the State’s Secretary, Department of State, or other state agency. On the other hand, there are also states which require the registration of business names to be done within the office of the county clerk in your country where your business can be found. Once you are done with the previous tasks, you can now click the button saying “Doing Business As” or that which states “Fictitious Names” of the site’s directory section. You will again type the name you have selected for the use of your business and then hit the “Search” button in order to determine if there are other businesses registered in the same name within your country or state.

Then read the procedure on the country or state’s official website in registering a DBA or fictitious name. Choose the section of “online registration” if it offers registrations online. If it is not, then you will have to download copies of the forms of the business registration from the website. If you were not able to register online, then you will have to mail your registration forms to your county or state’s agency address which is listed on paperwork, together with any processing or filing fees.

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