Choose a name you can actually use, secure the domain and handles, follow Companies House name rules and protect your brand.
Starting a business
Domain, Brand and Trade Mark Checklist
About this document
A checklist for choosing and protecting a business name and brand in the UK. It covers name screening and clearance searches, Companies House and business name rules (including the 2024 tightening), domain and social media set-up, owning your logo, applying for a UK trade mark and dealing with copycats.
The document is laid out in the sections below. Each one comes with a plain-English guidance note explaining what it does and what to change.
Our templates are professionally structured starting points for UK businesses, not legal advice. For anything complex, unusual or high-value, have your final version checked by a solicitor.
Included in the pack
Starting a business
for every document in this category
Editable Microsoft Word files
Guidance notes in every document
Written for UK businesses
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