Use of the company name
Although the company has the sole use of the company name with the Registrar of Companies at Companies House, the choice of company name is a matter for your decision. I advise careful consideration and inspection, not only of the list of registered companies, but also the Trade Mark Registry and all other business name registration data bases. In principle, no rights to use any chosen name stem from the registration of a company by the Registrar of Companies. Similarly no additional protection from others using the name is given by the Registrar of Companies. Companies House apply a very restricted and technical approach to uniqueness of name. Other existing companies have the right to apply to Companies House within one year if they feel that your company name is too similar to theirs and that there is the danger of confusion between the two names which may adversely affect their business.
Other information about trade marks, business names, web site names and company names can be found on the commercial web site www.start.biz, see our recommended "Other sources".
If your business requires a licence under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the chosen name must also be acceptable to the Office of Fair Trading.
