Company Creation: Choose and Protect company Name
Verified 01 January 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Naming your company is required. It's about her name. You can choose one trade name (optional). All 2 must be reported.
What applies to you ?
individual business or micro-company
You're a individual business manager. So we talk about natural person as opposed to a business that is a corporation.
Your company name must be your last name and first name.
The name of your company matches your name, i.e. your family name and first.
When you are an individual entrepreneur, your name is preceded or followed by the words "individual contractor orISIS". We are talking about denomination. She
shall be indicated on all your documents (invoice, order, advertisement, correspondence, etc.).
Warning
The name should not be confused with the possible trade name or business name of your company.
Please note
You cannot change the name of your company (unless you change your last name or first name).
The name of your company has national protection, i.e. throughout the French territory.
It automatic from the time you performed your company registration.
If you're a merchant, we're talking about names commercial.
If you're a craftsman or a liberal, we call it professional.
Communication tool
Your trade name is a communication.
It optional. It is advisable to choose one.
You free to choose it. This could be your last name, a pseudonym or any other term invented.
What's it for?
It serves identify your activity and your products on the market with your customers and competitors.
You use it when you presentation pitch to the banks and funders of your project.
Your business or trade name is on your business cards, your company header paper, contracts, quotes and invoices (in addition to mandatory).
Multiple shapes
The trade name or business name can take the following forms:
- Mark your product or activity
- Signboard of a store or premises
- Logo
- Domain name of your website
But it can also be different and add to a sign, a logo, etc.
Check availability
Before choosing a business or trade name, it is best to check that it has not already been taken by another contractor.
To check availability, you can free the Data Inpi database.
Searching for a company name and its availability on Data Inpi
You can complete this search with a (paid) more detailed request for similarity with the Inpi.
Check availability of a brand, logo, domain name
How to protect it?
You become owner of the trade or professional name from its 1re use in a document (prospectus, advertisements, invoices, etc.).
Business
Examples of company types are: SARL: titleContent, EURL: titleContent, SA, SAS SNC: titleContent.
You must choose your business name forward of draw up its statutes.
The name of a business is called name.
It mandatory.
The partners or shareholders must choose whole the name of the business.
The choice is free. It can be a last name or any other term that exists or was invented.
It must be included in the business' statutes followed by its legal form (SARL, SAS, SA, etc.).
Please note
if your company Civil business, we are talking about social.
What is the name used for?
The corporate name allows differentiate your name, that of your associates and that of your company.
It often refers toactivity.
Business becomes owner of the name at the time of its registration.
Before choosing your name, it is advisable to check that it has not already been chosen by another contractor.
For check availability, you can free the Data Inpi database.
Searching for a company name and its availability on Data Inpi
You can complete this search with a (paid) more detailed request for similarity with the Inpi.
You can change name by changing the status of your business.
FYI
This change is only possible with theagreement of all partners or shareholders.
You must publish editing in legal ad support.
To small and medium-sized and micro-entreprises, do you have a business project, a difficulty or a question ?
Quick and simple public service: you will be contacted over the phone by one of our experts.
Speak with an advisor on Place des Entreprises- Trade Code: Articles R123-53 to R123-62Declaration and Registration of a business
- Trade Code: Articles R123-237 to R123-238Mentions on business papers
- Trade Code: Item R526-27Name of individual contractor
- Intellectual Property Code: Articles L711-1 to L717-7Brand
- Searching for a company name and its availability on Data Inpi
Search tools
- Check availability of a brand, logo, domain name
Search tools
- Company formalities window
Online service
FAQ
- Business signs
- Company creation: formalities for registering a business
- Company Creation: Protect Your Idea and Product
- Appointment of head of business
- Change business Name
- How do I check for business name availability?National Institute of Industrial Property (Inpi)
- Key steps in trademark filingNational Institute of Industrial Property (Inpi)