STRATEGIES
FOR CHOOSING
YOUR COMPANY NAME
If you choose to incorporate your company with a corporate name (as
opposed to a numbered company), you must first reserve the name with the Registrar.
The Registrar has the discretion to reject the name you choose. The
following is a brief guideline to help increase the likelihood that the
Registrar will approve your choice.
The 3 Elements
The registered corporate name should
consist
of three elements:
| - |
a distinctive
element, |
| - |
a descriptive
element, and |
| - |
a legal
element. |
For example: Habitat Coffee
Inc. ("Habitat" = distinctive, "Coffee" =
descriptive, and "Inc." = legal).
Distinctive Element
The distinctive element is the part of the
name that distinguishes your company from others. It should be
unique to the extent that it will not be confused with other companies in
similar lines of business.
Examples of distinctive words include:
coined or made up words, geographical locations, and personal names.
For example: "Interfax" Coffee Inc., "Vancouver"
Coffee Inc., or "Joe Smith" Coffee Inc.
Unacceptable distinctive word choices
include overused and frequently used corporate name words, words that
merely describe the type of business being conducted, or names that are
too similar to other corporate or trade names. For example:
"Universal" Coffee Inc., "Coffee Bean" Distributors
Inc., or "Starbuckers" Coffee Inc.
Descriptive Element
The descriptive element describes the
nature of the business being conducted by the company. For
example: Habitat "Coffee" Inc., or Vancouver "Shoe
Manufacturers" Ltd. Avoid overly vague descriptions.
The Legal Element
The legal element is that which gives your
company legal incorporated status and limits your liability (once all
other conditions for incorporation have been met). The words that
may be used are: "Limited", "Limitee",
"Incorporated", "Incorporee", "Corporation",
"Ltd.", "Inc.", and "Corp."
Other Considerations
Names that suggest that the company is
connected to government, the crown, or royal family are not acceptable.
The words "British Columbia" or "B.C." generally refer
to a connection with government. For example: "B.C."
Lumber Inc., "Prince Charles" Lumber Inc., or "Royal"
Lumber Inc. are not acceptable.
However, names with the words "British
Columbia" or "B.C." placed after the descriptive element
are generally O.K. For example: Jack Lund Lumber B.C. Inc.
Also, the words "Crown" or "Royal" in combination with
other words generally are acceptable. For example: Royal Oak
Lumber Inc. is acceptable.
Names that are considered objectionable on
public grounds are not acceptable. For example: vulgar
expressions, obscene words, or racial or sexual slurs are not acceptable.
