naming a company

[puppydavies]

anyone know how different your name needs to be for a new company? 2 o'clock this morning i had a brainwave for a name for my tentative wahm business (making things, not providing services), but having checked existing business names there's someone already trading with something very similar, in a similar area (product-wise, not geographically, but i'd be mostly online).

so lets say i wanted to be called blue moon designs and there was already a blue moon creations working in the same area is that a complete no? i wouldn't be overly worried about people getting us mixed up as our product range would only overlap in one area, which is a minor side-line to my main thing.

i'm thinking almost definitely not, but i don't want to give up too easily as i think it's a cracking name and the domains are still available

Have you checked as to whether the other name is registered at all? Is it a UK company?

the other name comes up on the "business name search" at the national business register, but not as a limited co. with companies house.

there are other "blue moons" of various types but none except this particular one in the product area i'm considering. i think being in the same line of business is significant for trademarks, but i don't know the rules for business names/companies.

There's a link on the Companies House website about this, hold on...

i think blue moon abc or xyz would be ok.
I have just registered thisname, having registered a company called thisnames a few weeks ago and I was amazed it went through. In this case we are changing the name of thisnames to thisname holdings, and it is the sole shareholed or thisname, but even so I can't believe that they registered it and didn't question it.

In your case then blue moon designs could object, but I don't think it is a similar name tbh.

Here's the link I was looking for.

With the names you have given, I think they would be different enough for Companies House to allow registration. However, if the other company objected (for example if they thought confusion could arise, especially if they are in the same sort of business) then you could be forced to change.

thanks for all your help. it seems that, since this other business isn't registered as a company i shouldn't have any problem w/companies house. but it looks as though i could still be at risk of a "passing off" action since we'd be in similar lines of business.

i think i probably have to give up on the name as i don't want to risk something blowing up a year or 2 along the line after i've sunk a lot of time and energy into branding etc.

back to the drawing board...