Choosing a company name
Location: UK
I'm thinking about going freelance and having a decent name, and in near future probably convert to a Limited company.
However I found on businesslink.gov.uk that the company name is very similar to a existing one (studios -> studio) however the company name in question is dissolved.
Technically I can acquire the company name but I want 'studios' instead of 'studio' so I'm not sure what I can do. Is it allowed to have similar names to dissolved companies?
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Also check to see if the domain name is available on the internet. – Jonny Boats 12 years ago
2 Answers
If the company is shown as dissolved by Companies House, then it no longer exists, so it should be perfectly fine to start a new business with a similar name.
The only time this may not be a good idea is if there was any adverse publicity with the old company, where potential clients might confuse you with them. A simple Google search should help here.
As mentioned above, it is critical to get the .com domain name, or at least the .co.uk, both ideally.
If you are freelance (self-employed effectively), you can use a "trading as" name, but it mustn't imply that you are a Ltd, so "ABC Studios" is fine, but not "ABC Studios Ltd". If/when you incorporate as an Ltd then you'd naturally be known as "ABC Studios Ltd".
You need to tell your bank about your trading names, so they can accept cheques payable to your trading name and pay them into your account.
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I already got .co.uk and .com but then found out it existed a few years ago and listed as dissolved by companies house and got worried. It's quite unpopular so the existing reputation isn't a issue. Do I have to register "trading as" names or just tell the bank about them? I haven't done any work yet just prepping for near future. – Klj613 12 years ago
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It is fine to re-use a dissolved name, but if they had a bad reputation, and there is any chance of confusion, you should avoid it. I'm not sure about registering trading names, although it doesn't seem like you should. Check with your bank, as you'll have to inform them anyway. – Steve Jones 12 years ago
Don't get a company name that's that similar to another's. And it's really all about the domain name. Get a real domain name (like .com, .net, .org or your country's standard (.co.uk)). Don't use a domain name with an odd suffix.
If you do this, you will be easy to find and professional.
