While registering a Business Name with ASIC is an important part of setting up and running your Business, many people are surprised to learn registration doesn’t provide exclusive ownership of your Buisness Name.
Instead, registering a Business Name is a legal obligation if you plan to carry on a Business or trade in Australia using a name other than your own. Through Business Name Registration – and the Business Names Register – consumers are provided with a greater degree of transparency, and the ability to easily see who ‘stands behind’ a Business Name.
It’s important to remember that registering a Business Name doesn’t mean that you own it, or that you are preventing other people from being able to register and use similar names.
Generally, the only way to get exclusive use of a particular Business Name is to register it as a Trade Mark. You can find more information about what’s involved – and search for existing Trade Marks at no cost – by visiting IP Australia.
