Unique company name?

Started by
8 comments, last by BigCarlito 23 years, 5 months ago
Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here goes: How did those of you who started your own "company" go about choosing a name. More specifically, how do you know your name is unique, or unique ENOUGH? Could someone, for instance, legally start a company named Budweiser Software? And if so, how do you know that there isn''t already a Budweiser Software out there already? Two seperate questions, I guess. Zeus Interactive
Advertisement
I''d search the net for a company with the name you want. That''s what I did when I was thinking of Crescent Software. That name was taken, darn it. It''s not the most guarenteed way but its a start.

==============================
"Need more eeenput..."

- #5, "Short Circuit"
==============================

Drew Sikora
Executive Producer
GameDev.net

For "Samu Games" we batted around nonsense words and silly phrases for a couple of weeks. We did web searches and domain name checks to make sure we weren''t stepping on anyone''s toes.

"Samu", for us, was a nonsense word that we made up from an acronym that we now deny exists... ...but not long after we settled on it, we found a web page explaining that "samu" was an ancient Assyrian/Babylonian/Sanskrit/whatever-it-was-I''ve-forgotten word for "thirsty"...

Not sure that it''s relevant, but it was interesting to us...


DavidRM
Samu Games
my company is called positech computing ltd. before i coded games i was an IT conultant dude, and i bought the company pre-made like an ''off-the-shelf'' thing, so i picked the best name from a list of 10.
As i got my games going, i kept the company name, as it was already registered etc.
I hate it, but its much too late to change now. I think it sounds like some sad IT outsourcing firm. I much prefer NINJA GAMES.
I dont think it matters much though. Microsoft isnt exactly a killer name,m didnt do them any harm

http://www.positech.co.uk
cliffski,

What do you mean when you say you bought the company ''pre-made''? Did you buy an already formed company from someone else? I''m interested in knowing because I''m starting a company for a sports site I''m creating and I want to look at all the different ways I can get it off the ground.
here in the UK there are companies that just create other companies, they set up all the paperwork and legal mumbo jumbo, then ''park'' the companies ready for someone to buy. Its like £80 or something, to buy a company in this state, it means you can start trading immediately, although it takes a bit longer to have one done with the name you request.
Probably not the best way to start a games company though.

http://www.positech.co.uk
Just stick a GUID in there and you know it''s unique. How likely is it that there''s a registered company out there called 605AFE60_9070_11D4_8C7D_403557C10000 Software?

-Ironblayde
 Aeon Software

The following sentence is true.
The preceding sentence is false.
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
Do u have a website for a company that sells companies? Also do you incour any fees after u buy the company, like ongoing registrations for business license etc?

G Coates
-------------------------------------------

Green ribbon campain, for freedom of innovation
Windows: The only virus with a GUI!
Gavin Coates
[size="1"]IT Engineer / Web Developer / Aviation Consultant
[size="1"][ Taxiway Alpha ] [ Personal Home Page ]
Ah well! As for a unique name I dun think "Budweiser Software" will do it..heh! Certain companies such as Budweiser have probably already claimed every possible variation of the title (patent). Stay away from the hugh comapanies....like never try Microsoft Shoes, Nike Software and such.

As for small named companies, they can be reused so long as your not in the same line of work as that company and your symbolism (logos, slogans, ads) are completely different. I would still keep a eye out for this situation though because any slip or mistake in likeness could get you sued.

Make up a name that best discribes you team and the type of things you partray. For instance if I made a new company that sold hard liqour....I could call it Alcoholic Beverages . It''s all about setting something that directly relates your demographics to you and you product.

You can always check with the trademark and copyright folks about registered names just as you can search for registered web addresses....they let you know. If you do get a name that is "local" such as common words like Wicked, Car, and so...make sure you secure you genre. Have your logos and sample products ready...this way no other company can have that name in your line of work. Meaning if you have Leg Head Sports no sporting company can come and call themselves Head Leg Sports and/or Leg Head Sports.

.....uh I''m talking to much. LUck!
Working Late + Coke and chips = Game Development-
Here at Chimps with Keyboards it was easy. We just described ourselves.

It actually came from my co-founders description of his job back when we were thinking of starting up.

This topic is closed to new replies.

Advertisement