A trade name is generally considered the name a business uses for advertising and sales purposes. A trade name is sometimes referred to as a “fictitious” or “doing business as (DBA)” title. For example, “McDonald’s” may be the trade name, but the legal name is “McDonald’s Corporation.” A trademark is a brand name.
Can I use my name as a trade name?
If a business owner wants to operate under a different name other than the company’s legal name, they can use a trade name instead. If you want to operate under a different name than your legal business name, register a trade name for your company. Every state and county has different rules for registering a DBA.
What is trade or DBA name?
DBA means “doing business as.” A DBA is any registered name that a business operates under that isn’t its legal business name. A DBA is sometimes called a trade name, fictitious name, or assumed name. A DBA isn’t a business structure and doesn’t provide any personal asset protection like an LLC or corporation.
How do you create a trade name?
When you’re developing a name for a business, a product or a service, you have a number of options:
- Use the founder or inventor’s name (Hewlett-Packard)
- Describe what you do (Southwest Airlines)
- Describe an experience or image (Sprint)
- Take a word out of context (Apple)
- Make up a word (Google)
Why do you need a trade name?
A trade name is important because it connects your company to members of the public. You need to register your company’s trade name with the state business office as soon as you can. When you do so, your company will gain recognition as a legal entity, authorized to sell products or services in the state.
What is the difference between a trading name and business name?
A ‘trading name’ refers to an unregistered name that businesses could use before the introduction of the National Business Names Register on 28 May 2012. A trading name is not a registered business name. If you wish to continue using a trading name, you need to register it as a business name.
What is the difference between a company name and a trade name?
A company name is the actual name of the business, while a trade name or DBA is a way of doing business under a particular name filed in a state or county. A trade name can be registered by any type of business such as LLCs, corporations, and nonprofits.
Do I need to file a trade name?
To get the protection of trademark rights one has to register the trademark. It is important to register your trademark because it prevents others from copying your mark and misrepresenting other products with your mark.
Does a trading name need to be registered?
A trading name is the name (or names) used by a person, partnership or company for carrying out business which is not the same as their own name or official registered name. A business may use as many trading names as it requires, but these cannot be registered as official names of the company.
Do I need to register a trading name?
You’ll need to register your name as a trade mark if you want to stop people from trading under your business name.
How do I know if a business name is copyrighted?
You can search for federally registered trademarks by using the free trademark database on the USPTO’s website. To start, go to the USPTO’s Trademark Electronic Business Center at and choose “Search.” Then follow the instructions you see on the screen.
Which is an example of a brand or trade name?
A trademark is a registered brand or trade name. It can include any combination of a name, slogan, logo, sounds or colors that identify the company or its products or services. For example, the Nike Swoosh is a registered trademark.
