Naming your business requires a lot of consideration. You will need to choose both a company name and a domain name for your business.
A memorable and distinctive name which reflects your brand can be a powerful marketing tool. Once you have a name in mind, there are some important legal checks you need to carry out.
Search at the local companies’ registry to see if company name is available to register in the country you want to register? You can’t register a name which is already being used by someone else. Registries typically also have some restrictions on registering names which use sensitive words of expressions or imply a connection with a government, so be sure to avoid those.
Run a trademark search in the countries in which you operate (or intend to operate). Your chosen name must not infringe on someone else’s trademark rights. If it does, you could be sued.
Check online to see if your chosen domain name is not already taken. It is common for companies to use their company or brand name (or related acronym). You can choose which top-level domain name to use and this can be generic (such as .com) or country specific (such as .co.uk).
Use a search engine to scour the internet to see if anyone is using the name you want to use for related products or related services.
In each case, you need to check for names that are the same or similar to your name or used in relation to products or services that are similar to yours. Avoiding any name which may lead to confusion for you and your customers.
These searches can usually be done online and are usually free or reasonably inexpensive. It is advisable to get your company name, trademark and domain name registered as quickly as possible.