Business Continuity Audit

The legal and trade names of the business should be registered with the state of its operation. To receive an application to register the name of the business, you may contact the department in your state that handles this service. For example, in the State of Maryland, the Department of Assessment and Taxation offers this service. You should fill out an application and mail it to the appropriate office in your state with a check or money order for the required fees.

Before you fill out the application to register the business name, you may want to call and check on the availability of the name that you have chosen. Find out if any other business is using the name in your area (or even in another part of the country). Many offices are now computerized, someone may be able to quickly check the name on the computer and let you know immediately whether that name is already being used by another business in that state. If you have access to the Internet, you may be able to check on the name availability yourself. However, all state offices do not provide the name availability computerized service. If this name is not being used by another business, then the state will allow you to register and use the name that you have chosen as the legal name for your business. To register, simply fill out the required paperwork and submit it to the appropriate office.

Do a trademark search to find out if the name is registered as a trademark. You may contact a professional trademark company to do the search or you can do it yourself on your personal computer. Remember, do not use famous names.

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