The naming of your business could be one of the most important decisions you will make. A name's originality and legal availability will create a real asset value of its own, as it becomes marketed and gains market acceptance.

The name you choose will become the focal point of all the benefits and features that relate to your product or business. Customers will be able to find and refer others to it in the future. Established products or businesses realize the value of customer good will.

A well chosen name will provide an extra marketing advantage, which may mean the difference between failure and success.

The vital question is…is your company name truly available?

While the name may be unique and distinctive to you, there is a possibility that another party already has prior trademark or common-law rights to the name for your industry. Before you invest time, money and effort into your name, do some research. The first places to check are right at your fingertips – the World Wide Web – and they're free!

Preliminary Search Sites:

• The Trademarks section on the USPTO Web Site
• Your Secretary of State to see if they have a searchable database of names. You can find a listing of all states here
• Major search engines – put your product name in quotes to find exact matches; use keywords with your product name to find relevant hits
• Yellow pages

However, please be aware that this is merely scratching the surface of what's out there. Only comprehensive research will tell you if the name is truly available. But, these links are free & a great place to start, so try them first. If the name appears to be available, then you can move on to getting comprehensive research done by a private company or an attorney.

Shannon Moore is the General Manager, East Coast for TradeMark Express. Since 1992, TradeMark Express has met the needs of their clients with comprehensive research, application preparation, attorney referrals and trademark consultation. For further details, please visit us on the web at http://www.tmexpress.com or call Shannon directly at 800.340.2010.