Studio Name
Found in: About Business, Studio Setup
Sandra M., Canada
Has anyone had issues with choosing a studio name? I just did a Google search for my chosen name, and there’s nothing by that name coming up. Someone has a studio several hours drive away with that name, and there’s also at least one in the US. Is a Google search all most of you do to prevent someone challenging your studio name?
Kerry V., Australia
Google doesn’t give you all you need for business names. Best to go to ‘registered businesses’ and also all the internet names to see if they still exist. eg, Go Daddy. And always best to check with .com AND .com.au, depending on where you live.
Sandra M. Canada
Is there a significant risk of someone going after a “little fish” like me? Small business, not widely advertised.
Heidi M., Canada
The regulations may differ where you are, but I am also in Canada, and here you can technically claim a business name and I don’t think you would get sued for choosing someone else’s BUT your business name means nothing till you register it within the provincial registry, and when you register it there, you search within their database (have to pay a small amount for that search, as Google does not always reveal all business names) and if no one in your/this province has claimed it then you can claim it and secure it for yourself so that nobody else can use it and that is useful for advertising purposes etc. Here we have to pay roughly $65 annually to keep it registered, for me it is worth it. I suggest you check it with the provincial registry where you live, it might be part of the same organization as where you register your vehicle, just like it is here. OH, I should also mention there are two registries, one is for the province and one is nationwide. Mine is just provincial, it is good enough for a music studio that does not plan to spread to other provinces simultaneously.
Kimberly B., Oregon
When I chose my name I read a few articles about name infringement and I remember that even if there is the same name somewhere else, as long as you are not competing for business in the same area it would probably be ok. Although, someone can always challenge you.
Joan H., Canada
To distinguish your name, You could also consider adding in your first name: “Sandra’s Creative Keys.” When I named my studio, I invited students to offer ideas in a contest, and the winner was “Joan’ s Sound of Music.”
Original discussion started December 11, 2019