How to Register a Business Name and Trademark

Registering your company creates the entity, but it does not automatically protect the name you sell under. Name and trademark protection are separate steps that many founders skip until a conflict surfaces.

A business name filing reserves your operating name with the state, while a trademark protects the brand at the federal level. Both matter, but they guard different things.

• State registration covers your legal entity name
• A DBA filing registers a name you do business under
• Trademarks protect brand names and logos nationally
• A federal search helps avoid conflicts before you commit

Run a trademark search early, before you build a brand around a name someone else may already own. Reserving protection is cheap compared to a forced rebrand later.