Transform your brand with confidence — and update your Company Name in the records of the regulatory bodies with our end-to-end legal and technical assistance!
We can manage every step of the process, ensuring a smooth transition and complete compliance, so you can focus on leveraging your new brand identity.
Our Company Name – Related Services
With our business compliance and post-registration services, we process various amendments to our clients’ incorporation details with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other government regulatory bodies, e.g., BIR, BPLO, and statutory agencies. With company names, our services include:
Corporate Name Change
During SEC registrations, company name verifications are a crucial part of the process. Although a company name is established at this stage, it may anytime be changed or amended as deemed necessary, with the submission of complete documentary requirements, and with the approval of the commission.
Trade Name Registration, Change, and De-Registration
Apart from amending corporate names, we also process registrations, amendments, and de-registrations of ‘doing business as’ (DBA) and trade names. Our corporate legal team can assist you in the drafting of the amended Articles of Incorporation as well as in filing with the SEC and other agencies.
Company Name FAQs
What Is a Company Name?
A company name, as the cornerstone of the brand, is a (generic) designation that defines the business and creates a unique identity among other competitors in the light of public perception. In its technical aspect, it may be a corporate (legal) name, a trade (DBA) name, or both.
What Is the Difference Between a Corporate Name and a Trade Name?
A corporate (legal) name, (e.g., Company XYZ) is the name used in the paperwork filed to create the business and comply with the regulatory frameworks. If it is a corporation, it is the name on the legal documents, such as the Articles of Incorporation (AOI).
A trade name (e.g., XYZ Tech), on the other hand, can be the name the business is commonly known as or the name used when advertising or doing business. When registered with the regulatory body (e.g., SEC), it is signified by “doing business as,” “doing business under the name and style of,” or any other similar indicators (after the corporate or legal name).
What is a Doing Business As (DBA) Name?
It is the same as the trade name or the operating name of a company, as opposed to its corporate or legal name. It goes with other terms, such as “business style,” “assumed name,” “fictitious business name,” and “legal alias.”
Is a Trade Name Mandatory?
The use of a trade name is not mandatory. If a company does not have any other registered trade names, it is understood that the corporate name is also its trade name.
Why Do Companies and Businesses Use and Register Trade Names?
Sole proprietors and general partnerships use an industry-relevant and professional-sounding trade names instead of their names to ensure consumers understand their services. Corporations also use trade names for branding and marketing, especially when the entity names do not suit their products or services. Sometimes, the legal names are also long, hard to spell or pronounce, difficult to remember, or not search engine friendly.
Trade names are also used by companies that enter a new line of business or market new products and services that the current legal business names do not represent. Although there is no legal protection, unlike a trademark, registering a trade name is a form of public notification, especially to other businesses, that the name is in use.
How Are Company Name-Related Transactions Processed?
For sole proprietorships, the business name registration is filed with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). For corporations and partnerships, the company name registration, amendment, and de-registration are filed with the SEC.
The registration of a trade name may be done during the initial registration or upon amending the Articles of Incorporation (AOI). After the DTI or SEC filing, the amendment must also be filed with the BIR, BPLO, and statutory agencies (i.e., SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG Fund).
How Long Do They Take to Process?
Company name-related registration and amendment transactions may also take weeks or months to process, from the SEC down to the statutory agencies, which depends primarily on their complexity and the efficiency in government services.
Ready to Avail Our Company Name-Related Services?
Arrange an initial consultation with our business compliance and post registration specialists today! Call us at (02) 8478-5826 (landline) or 0917 892 2337 (mobile) or send an email to info@filepino.com.
