Choosing A Company Name
C
Choosing A Company Name
C
You also cannot choose a name that, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, is offensive or whose use would constitute a criminal offence. Some names need the approval of the Secretary of State before they can be registered. (See Appendices to this booklet).
WHAT DOES "THE SAME AS" MEAN?
Provided that the name you have chosen does not
need the Secretary of State's approval, or is a name
that cannot be registered for other reasons (explained
later in this booklet), you can usually have your choice
of name on condition that it is not the "same as" a
name already on the Index.
When deciding whether a name is the "same as"
another name, punctuation, the company's status and words like "company (or co)", "and (or &) company (or co)" will be ignored for the purposes of comparison. A
name which sounds the same as one already on the
Index may be accepted provided that the two names are spelt differently from each other.
For example, the name "Hands Limited" might be
already on the Index. Some examples of names which
would be refused against this name are:
*
Hands Public Limited Company (or PLC);
* H and S Limited (or Ltd);
*
*
H and S Public Limited Company (or PLC);
any of the above with the addition of "Company (or Co)" or "and (or &) Co"
2.
Some examples of names which may be allowed
against "Hands Limited" would be:
*
*
Hands & Son Limited (or Ltd, Public Limited
Company or PLC);
Hands (UK) Limited (or Ltd, Public Limited
Company or PLC);
*Hands Bros Limited (or Ltd, Public Limited
Company or PLC);
* Hand Limited (or Ltd, Public Limited Company
or PLC);
*
Ands Limited (or Ltd, Public Limited
Company or PLC);
* Hands & Co (UK) Limited (or Ltd, Public
Limited Company or PLC).
It is important that you should be aware that whilst a company name may be sufficiently different from a name already on the Index to allow it to be registered, this might not be
enough to avoid the names being considered "too
like" each other if an objection is received after incorporation. In such cases your company could be directed to change its name.
3.