Visit: https://www.legalees.com/state-information/ to find your state and begin your name check and registration of the name you select.
Here are a few tips to register your name:
The “Name” is an important component of a business’ success.
Let’s talk about the name you’ll use for your company. Names are protected under various laws, i.e., copyright and trademark laws primarily. Obviously, if you are going into the restaurant business, you better not choose McDonald’s as your company name. You’ll get sued – guaranteed.
So how do you know which names you can use? Check the link above and find your state to and refer to the appropriate business regulation department to see which names are already being used. You can use the same name or part of the name as somebody else, as long as people won’t be confused. If you want to use McDonalds as the name for your drain cleaning company, that’s probably OK. People don’t usually confuse McDonald’s hamburgers with sewer cleaning.
As an example, you might name a business McDonald’s Drain Cleaning Service, but not McDonald’s Roto Rooter, because Roto Rooter is a trademarked name. So you can’t use that as part of your name. Of course, if you need more technical or specific assistance, please take the time to consult with an attorney.
What State? Another important consideration you need to make.
Form your LLC in the state where you will be making most of your money or where the LLC will own property. If you really are going to do business in many states, then Nevada, Delaware, Wyoming or one of the glamour states might be good to form your LLC in. Otherwise it’s simpler and less expensive to just use the state where you are a resident. Again, we recommend you consult an attorney if your situation is more complex.
Check State Registries
Check with your secretary of state or the state business department to see if the name you want is available in your state. If you are filing your LLC in Nevada, the name would have to be available with the Nevada business registration department.
All states have an online system for checking “name availability.” It’s pretty easy. If you want the name GoGetEm, LLC, and someone else has GoGetEm, Inc., you won’t be able to use that name.
Once you have found a name you like that’s available, many states allow you to reserve the name for a short period of time. But, it is so easy to file your LLC, I would usually advise that you just file your LLC immediately, instead of paying the reservation fees and going through the hassle.
The Domain
Cyberspace may be your biggest market today. I would advise you to check the availability of the name on the internet as well. Go to Whois.com, and you can see if the name is available. You can probably get the name you want as something other than a dot com, but you want the dot com.
Your company name doesn’t have to be the same as your domain name, but you need a domain name that you can use in cyberspace to advertise your goods and services. This is really important today.
