Learn how to come up with a great business name for your new limited company. In this video you'll learn techniques to choose a company name, check if it's available at Companies House, and protect your business with a trademark.

1. Choosing the Best Name for Your Company
A name strategy for long-term success
Preparing to Set Up Your Limited Company by
inniAccounts

2. What is in the presentation?
Choosing a suitable name
• Basic naming conventions
• Trading internationally
Branding and suitability
• Companies House rules
• Sensitive words
• Intellectual Property Rights
• Checking if the name is available
Trade Mark rules
• Suitability for your company
• Trade Mark rules and Intellectual Property
• Applying for a Registered Trade Mark
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3. How they named it?
• The origins of a suitable business name can be as diverse as the names already out
there
• There’s an endless choice from the simple ‘say it as it is’ approach to going for
something more exotic:
Founded by
Adolf (Adi) Dassler (Das)
The name was born from the founder wanting the name
to appear first in alphabetical listings and he chose the
name of the biggest river in the world as size matters
Named after the
Greek goddess of
Victory
The American diner chain
is named after the
founder’s daughter
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4. Choosing a suitable name
The name you choose should be aligned with the following conventions:
• Appropriate for your business
• Compliant with the basic naming conventions of Companies House
• Compliant with other regulatory bodies
Trading internationally
• If you are planning to trade internationally, then further considerations are added,
such as translation and meaning in other languages
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5. Branding and suitability
Brand:
• “A promise of an experience” (The Intellectual Property Office)
• It conveys to customers a certain assurance as to the nature of the product or
service they receive
• Consider the connotations of any part of your company name to your target
audience
• Think about what it says to them
• Make a positive connection with your audience
• Make sure the name fits with your company’s personality and professional
persona
For more advanced branding tips, check How to build a successful emotional
connection with your clients
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6. Be creative
Research into company names in your field
This will provide valuable insight into what’s culturally acceptable and who stands out
from the crowd
Inject some quirkiness and wordplay
into your name if it is commonplace in your trading sector
Challenge your imagination with some of the Best Quirky Business Names from
around the world
Consult your circle of colleagues and friends
to help you shortlist the most relevant and attractive entries before advancing further
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7. Companies House rules
Companies House have a number of restrictions related to naming your
company:
• You should have Limited or Ltd at the end of your company name (there are some
exemptions, but as a rule this is a given component)
• Your name (exact or similar) isn’t already in use
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8. Sensitive words I
Sensitive words and expressions are to be avoided in the main. These
are defined by Companies House as:
• Suggest business pre-eminence, a particular status, or a specific function
e.g. corporation, group, registered
• Imply a connection with a government department, devolved administration or,
public authority
e.g. assembly, cabinet office, commissioner, Crown Estate
• Cause a criminal offence: words and expressions controlled by legislation, such as
protected titles
e.g. architect, dietician, speech therapist
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9. Sensitive words II
• Certain sensitive words can be used in relation to a particular status or function, but
they need to be qualified and permission granted to use them
• There is a list of these words available on the Companies House website in
Annexes A-C sensitive words
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10. Intellectual property rights I
• Intellectual property rights provide legal protection for some of the most important
aspects of a brand
• Infringement of copyright or a trade mark can result in costly legal action
• Registered Trade Mark offers your company protection against other companies
using an identical or similar name to market goods or services in a similar class,
pulling customers away from your business
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11. Intellectual property rights II
• The core elements for name acceptance are:
• Is not the same as or similar to an existing TM
• Does not wholly describe the goods or services you provide
• Is distinctive
• Does not use customary phrases or words from the trade
• Is not deceptive, offensive or utilise words that describe illegal activities
• The Intellectual Property Office provides guidance on what is acceptable and how to
apply in this guidance booklet.
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12. Checking the name is available
Checking that your chosen name is available is essential to give you a
piece of mind at a later stage
• Companies House and the Intellectual Property Office will reject names that are
already in use or are too similar to existing registered names in the same class of
business as you intend to register it under (classes of business are explained later in
the presentation)
• Companies House provides a WebCheck service to search against names in use
• The IPO has a similar tool to check against all Registered Trade Marks in the UK
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13. Trade Marking
Trademark
• “A sign which can distinguish your goods and services from those of your
competitors.” (The Intellectual Property Office)
• Trade marks protects of words, logos or both against others using them in a similar
field of business
Is it appropriate for your company?
• You can trade mark your name, trading name or specific products and slogans
• Not all businesses apply for a trade mark, but it is important to understand what it is
and how it can affect you
• You need to assess whether protecting your company name is important enough to
Trade Mark it
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14. When trade marking is a worthwhile investment
• You plan on building a business known by its name and want to ensure that nobody
can use the name or a similar name
• You plan to trade a lot online and build your business using a website– there are
many instances where near-duplicate URLs have been set up to try to capture
business meant for the original provider of the goods or service
• You plan to sell the business or set up a franchise at a later date
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15. Classes of business for trademarks
• The class of business system means that a trademark is protected against duplicate
or similar names within a particular field
• Duplicate or similar names could be registered by a different owner in a different
class:
• e.g.‘Green Giraffe’ could be trademarked by a landscaping firm and still be
legitimately trademarked by a marketing firm because they are registered
under different classes of business.
• Goods are covered by classes 1-34
• Services are covered by classes 35-45
• The full list is available here and you need to register your trademark in the correct
class(es) at the time of application
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16. Applying for a Registered Trade Mark
• Fees
Examination fee £170 plus £50 per each additional class of business
• Using a qualified specialist
Avoid the risk of your application being rejected without a refund by
choosing a professional firm
• Find a reputable firm from the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys
• A qualified specialist can provide you with sound advice on your application as well
as filing the application for you and dealing with any resulting objections
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17. Trading Internationally
International Trade Mark Name
• If you are looking to Trade Mark a name internationally, you can do this through the
World Intellectual Property Organisation
Time span
• The application process can take three months, UK examinations can come back
sooner, but it is best to allow this time within the business start-up plan
• Many individuals apply for their trade mark first and wait for the application before
then registering with Companies House and HMRC using the name
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18. Conclusion
• As exciting as choosing your company name can be, it requires a
structured approach and consideration of some important legal
requirements
• These are only set to protect you against potential severe infringement
penalties and savvy competitors who try to pull away business from you
with a similar brand name
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19. Final checklist: Choosing a company name
✓ Is it fewer than 160 characters including spaces and name endings?
✓ Does it contain any restricted, offensive or sensitive words?
✓ Is the name already registered at Companies House?
✓ Does it contain words that when translated to another language may cause offence?
✓ Does it only use permitted characters?
✓ Is it sufficiently different to other company names and trademarks?
✓ Has the name previously been used by a company that is in liquidation?
✓ Is your preferred domain name available, even if just for company email addresses?
✓ Does an internet search reveal anything you don’t want to be associated with?
✓ Do you need to trademark the name?
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20. Recap
This guide covered the essential steps in the process of choosing your
company name:
• Choose emotionally attractive name, appealing to your target audience
• Be compliant with the relevant regulatory bodies’ rules
• Protect your intellectual property for future
By following the guide, you’ll be able to come up with a short list and the ultimate
name for your company
Now you have all the information to make a confident and worthy decision
Enjoy the process and have fun along the way!
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21. And finally...
Get some more inspiration when choosing your
new company name
• Read the full chapter and watch the video on how to
Choose a Great Business Name for Your Limited
Company
• Download the entire Preparing to Set Up Your Limited
Company guide for contractors and freelancers Free!