BUS114: Small Business Planning (Hall): Researching a Business Name
What's in a Name?
image source : What's in a Name? By Jack Dorsey
How do I research a business name?
- How To : Researching a Bussiness NameStep by step instructions on how to research a business name at the federal and state level.
Below you can download step by step tutorials on how to research business names at the state and federal level.
Tips on Choosing a Business Name
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Does the business name clearly represent the business?
- Is the business name so clever that no one will know what you are selling?
Secretary of State Databases
- Massachusetts Secretary of State DatabaseUse this database to find Corporation names in the state of Massachusetts.
- Rhode Island Secretary of State DatabaseUse this database to find Corporation names in the state of Rhode Island.
- Connecticut Secretary of State DatabaseUse this database to find Corporation names in the state of Connecticut.
Trademark & Patent Offices
- State Trademark Information LinksLinks to trademark offices in all 50 US States.
- United States Patent & Trademark OfficeThe United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.
- Massachusetts Patent & Trademark OfficeUse this database to search patent and trademark information in the State of Massachusetts.
- Rhode Island Patent & Trademark OfficeUse this database to search patent and trademark information in the State of Rhode Island.
What's Here?
On this page you will find links to help you research your chosen business name.
On the far left side of this page (under the photo) I've provided a tutorials with screen shots showing you how to search each federal and state site.
The links to the left will go directly to the search page of each state and federal agency. Please let me know if you have any questions or trouble researching your business name.