Why Do You Need a Business Name Registration?

Why do you need a business name protection?

Without a trading brand, your business is not the complete entity. The label of your firm is the foundation - before the business activity itself, before you establish a reputation, you begin with a simple idea and a business name registration.

Every potential owner has aspirations of success and wealth through their enterprise, and many achieve this goal and become some of the most recognisable franchises in the world. McDonald's is not just 'that burger shop' - it is a name that carries with it historical and cultural value.

When we think of Apple, the fruit does not immediately spring to mind. Instead, we conjure up iPods and iPhones, and a host of technological developments.

A business establishes its reputation on the name alone. Whether you are planning to start-up a private limited company, a non-profit organisation, or to act as a sole-trader, the business name registration is the anchorage that pins down all the elements that encompass your activities.

For this reason, one needs to remember that anyone can have a name, but choosing the right brand name is something of a skill. A witty play of words can make your company name stick out and set you apart from the competition.

A charming or comical title may attract people to your field as it shows that you have put in the extra effort to create something clever. For example, a cheeky name such as 'Big Baps' for a cafe sticks in the mind more than something simple such as 'Joe’s Cafe'.

'Abra Kebabra' seems far more beguiling than 'Kebab and Chip Stop'. It is often difficult to think of something imaginative, but if you can, a novel name will ensure that your limited company and its mission is different from the rest of the others.

In the same way that an inventive name can have a positive effect on your business, something offensive can ruin your business, despite how seemingly harmless it may seem. Your business name is the legacy you intend to create, and this is why it is detrimental to get it right.

In the same way that you can have legal action against you if you unknowingly trade under an existing company name, registering a private company protects it against any duplication. Registering a business name with Coddan, means that another company limited by shares cannot lawfully copy your name nor have any strong resemblance to it, thus eliminating the possibility of passing off.

If this event should occur, you have the same legal right to take action against that company and force them to cease trading with the name.

It is important to ensure your business name is fully acceptable with the Companies Register before embarking on a career of conducting business as reversing the damage of accidentally passing-off another company can prove expensive.