Starting a business
How to choose your business name without conflicts
Changing your name after launch is expensive: new logo, new website, new business cards, customers to inform. The right time to secure your business's Name is before drafting the articles of association.
Updated on 2 October 2026
The qualities of a good name
- Distinctive: a name that merely describes the business ("Paris Bakery") will be difficult, if not impossible, to protect as a Trademark. A word with no direct link to the products works better.
- Available: it must not copy an earlier Trademark, company name, trade name or shop sign in an identical or similar business.
- Lawful and not misleading: no offensive terms, no official emblems, nothing misleading about the business or its origin.
- Easy to say and spell: it will be spelled out over the phone, typed into a search engine, read on a shop sign.
- Adaptable: a matching domain name and social media accounts must be possible.
Checks to carry out before the articles of association
- French and EU trademarks, including names that look or sound similar.
- Companies: company names, trade names and shop signs (DATA INPI database, business directory).
- Domain names on the extensions relevant to your project.
- Social networks where your customers will look for you.
A company becomes the owner of its company name upon registration. If that name copies an earlier right, infringement or unfair competition proceedings may force it to change, even after registration.
Key takeaway: checking availability is the founder's responsibility, before the articles of association. A business that uses a name without having registered it still holds an earlier right that it can assert.
Securing the chosen name
- File a Trademark for the goods and services you will sell: it is the strongest protection.
- Register the domain name as soon as the choice is made: the rule is "first come, first served".
- Create accounts on the relevant social networks.
- Use the same Name everywhere: company name, trade name, Trademark, domain.
Mistakes that force a name change
- Stopping at "no company has this name" without checking Trademarks.
- Searching only for the exact spelling: a phonetically similar Trademark can be enough to create a likelihood of confusion.
- Choosing a descriptive name, then discovering it cannot be registered as a Trademark.
- Registering the domain without filing the Trademark, then seeing a third party file the name.
Frequently asked questions
Can you freely choose your company's name?
The partners freely choose the company name; it may contain letters, numbers and certain special characters. It must not reproduce or imitate a name protected by an earlier right for identical or similar activities, or it may face infringement or unfair competition proceedings.
Where can I check whether a business name is already taken?
Service-public.fr recommends the DATA INPI database (free), which covers company names, trade names and shop signs listed in the National Business Register, optionally supplemented by a paid similarity search with INPI. Trademarks and domain names should also be checked.
Is my domain name protected by setting up my company?
No. Registering a domain name does not grant intellectual property protection, and registering the company does not reserve any domain. Service-public.fr recommends also filing the name as a Trademark.
Official sources
General information up to date as of 2 October 2026, checked against the official websites cited. Fees and procedures may change: refer to the sources. This guide does not constitute legal advice.