Do you have a unique Business Name idea but you are unsure if it is available for use? If YES, here are 3 low cost ways to find out if a business name is taken.
Look around you and you would find that there are avalanches of businesses scattered all over the globe. There are businesses like; cosmetics business, food business, cleaning business, ceramics business, just to mention a very few. As businesses abound, so are the various names that have come to be associated with them. For instance; names like coke, Pepsi, Procter and gamble have stuck.
There is a great importance in having a business name. This is so that people who do not know about your brand could easily identify with it when they hear of it. This is why it is really needful that businesses all over the world have names.
A business that doesn’t have a name may be likened to a child without a name. For instance; imagine you knew a child that didn’t have a name- which rarely never happens. On the contrary, if it does happen, chances are that you would be worried about how to get the child’s attention since he or she is nameless.
Therefore, if you have always wanted to be in business, and you already have a proposed name for your business, then chances are that you would burdened about whether the name you have may have been taken or not. If that is your case, then you may consider getting some hands on tips of how to find out if a business name is taken or not. Here are the top tips below;
3 Low Cost Ways to Find Out If a Business Name is Taken
1. Let an Attorney Help
The roles which lawyers play in the business registration processes cannot be overemphasized. They are one class of people who know the processes well, as well as whether a name is taken. You may then consider employing the service of an attorney who understands intellectual property so well.
This is so that you can be helped to do a proper trademark search, so that you will know whether to go ahead with the proposed name or not. Be sure to know whether this is for free or a fee. This is because some attorneys may want you to pay a fee for this, whilst others may want to do it for free, depending on the level of rapport and familiarity you have.
2. Check with a Trademark Electronics Systems
Like never before the way one can check whether a business name is taken or not is now easier. In the past as with some countries in Africa- Nigeria in particular, there was no such thing as checking online for a name that may have been taken or not.
Thank God for the way the technology has evolved, this is made possible. The Trademark Electronic Search System also known as the TESS database in some countries helps to solve this problem. However, you would need to have a computer and an internet enabled one to do this.
3. Check with the Business Regulatory Body
One other important way that you may possibly check to see if a business name has been taken is to check with the business regulatory office. You would be required to complete some forms, regarding the type of business that the business name wants to be used for. Be sure that you provide only the most appropriate information so that you aren’t turned down.
If you have adopted any or some of these means and have found that the name is question is still available, then you may then start the registration processes. Following this course would only help in preventing you moving around in circles. On the other hand you would be making great progress when you make the steps here yours.