Why register your business name?
The main reason to register your business name is to tell the public (and other businesses) who is doing business under that name.
The law requires people transacting business in Florida under an assumed name to register it as a public record with the State of Florida Corporation Division. This registration lets the public know that the holder of the name intends to do business under that name, and both aids the business owner in establishing his name with other businesses, and gives the public contact information for legal proceedings. Similarly, to create a business entity such as a corporation or limited liability company, proper organization documents must be filed with the division.
If a person transacts business with an unregistered assumed business name, he or she may not have standing in court to pursue or defend legal actions, and may find it difficult to do business, for example, getting licenses, opening bank accounts, and entering into contracts.
Is a DBA the same thing as an Assumed Business Name?
An Assumed Business Name is also commonly known or referred to as a “DBA”, or “doing business as.”
What names are available?
The business name must be available for registration purposes. That means that no other business with exactly the same name has an active (up to date) registration on the division’s database. There may be businesses of record with that name that are no longer active. There may be businesses in other states or countries that do business under that name. There may even be businesses in Florida that are operating under that name, but have not yet registered. The Corporation Division’s records do not include every business that may be using that name, but if the name is not already taken by an active registration on the database, it’s available for you to register in the public record.
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