Everything you need to know about registering your startup’s name
Adrian Dommisse from Dommisse Attorneys Inc, an attorney who specializes in corporate finance and general commercial contracts, highlights the legal aspects concerning name reservations including:
- It is not necessary for a company to register a name when registering their company, however business owners need to be mindful of not ‘encroaching on someone else’s territory’. It is also important to remember that there is a difference between a registered name and trading name.
- It is beneficial to register a trademark, particularly for a company’s brand and to limit reputational risk
- Along with registering a trademark, business owners may consider registering a domain for their website.
- Although it’s possible to manage the name registration process yourself via the CIPC website, it is always recommended to get commercial legal advice from a professional. There are several low cost legal services available for SMEs
Source: SME South Africa
