What is the purpose of a company name?

Are you embarking on an entrepreneurial adventure? Would you like to expand your business?

One of the first steps in setting up your company will be to choose a trade name.

Note that the selection of this name is left up to the entrepreneur!

To help you determine your company's trade name, let's focus today on its usefulness!

Trade name, acronym or sign: what are the differences?

It's important to distinguish between different concepts that are sometimes confused: trade name, acronym and brand name.

All these names, often used to refer to a company, are nevertheless different and correspond to their own realities and rules.

What are the differences in meaning?

• A company's trade name refers to the name the company is known by to the general public. This may or may not correspond to the company name.
• A company acronym is an acronym of the company name. For example, EDF stands for Electricité De France.
• Finally, the sign is the name visible on the front of a business. It is often used to promote a sales outlet. As such, it is possible for a single company to have several signs for its different establishments.

How do you choose the right business name for your company?

Next, it is important to choose the right business name for your company.

It's important to point out that, as a company's public name, it must have real commercial advantages: originality, easy memorability, attractiveness... A company's name must not only convey a clear message about its sector of activity, but also convey a sense of concordance with the values it seeks to convey.

A few rules apply:

• It's important to note that, just like a company name, any trade name can contain numbers, symbols and other special characters. The company director's surname can also be used.
• Secondly, it's possible to refer to the activity carried out by the company in question, in the trade name.
• Finally, it is essential to ensure that the chosen trade name is not already in use by another company, and that it does not infringe the trademark rights of a competitor.

How do I register my company's business name with the Registrar? 

Finally, you need to consider the procedure for registering your company's trade name with the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce.

You can register your company's trade name at when you register your company with the clerk's office.

To do this, simply fill in the "business name" box on the Cerfa M0 form.

The creation or modification of a company's trade name is also possible after registration, and requires the company' s articles of association to be amended at the registry office.

As soon as the trade name is registered, it is directly protected, without any further steps.

This will make it possible to control the use of this name by other structures.

In conclusion, registering and protecting a trade name is a relatively straightforward procedure, requiring little investment.

On the contrary, the process of deciding on a company name requires a great deal of thought.

In order to be effective, it's imperative that it's in line with your business and your project. All that's left to do is rack your brains!