Trade Name

A company name is the actual name of the business, while a trade name or DBA is a way of doing business under a particular name filed in a state or county. A trade name can be registered by any type of business such as LLCs, corporations, and nonprofits.

In the US, there is no requirement that an assignment be notarized.Note, however, that in many foreign countries, an assignment must be notarized to be valid.

A trade name is the official name under which an individual as a sole proprietor or a company chooses to do business. A trade name is commonly known as a doing business as (DBA) name.

Typically only the party assigning the intellectual property must sign the assignment, and while notarization is strongly preferred it is not strictly required.Failure to record an intellectual property transfer, or failure to make a timely recordation, can impact a startup's rights in a patent or patent application.

Registering a trademark for a company name is pretty straightforward. Many businesses can file an application online in less than 90 minutes, without a lawyer's help. The simplest way to register is on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site, www.uspto.gov.

A trade name may also be called a doing business as (DBA) name. It's the name the public sees. Think of it as your business's nickname. Businesses may use their trade or DBA name for marketing and sales purposes instead of their legal business name to help draw in more customers.

Trademark assignments should also be filed electronically on the USPTO website. The Electronic Trademark Assignment System (ETAS) allows the parties to create and submit an Assignment Recordation Coversheet online by completing a form and attaching an image of the legal documentation (assignment agreement).

A trade name is generally considered the name a business uses for advertising and sales purposes. A trade name is sometimes referred to as a fictitious or doing business as (DBA) title. For example, McDonald's may be the trade name, but the legal name is McDonald's Corporation.

A trade name is the official name under which an individual as a sole proprietor or a company chooses to do business. A trade name is commonly known as a doing business as (DBA) name.