Your Name
Before you purchase business cards, create a website, or design a logo, you should make sure the trade name you’d like to use hasn’t already been registered in the municipality in which you’re looking to conduct business. Start by checking your proposed trade name against the RI Trade Name Database, specifically checking to see if your proposed trade name is available in the city or town in which you’d like to operate. If your desired name or a similar name already exists in that city or town, you will not be able to register it. For example, if there is a registered trade name under “Acme Enterprises” in Providence, you will not be permitted to register the following names in Providence:
- Acme Enterprise
- Acme Enterprises!
- Acm3 Enterprise
- The Acme Enterprise
You should also know that trade names cannot include corporate endings. This includes:
- L.L.C., LLC, or Limited Liability Company
- Inc., Incorporated, Corp., Co., or Ltd.
Review the name availability guidelines for more information.
Did you know...
In Rhode Island, only incorporated businesses can register and use names that end in LLC, Inc., or Corp.?
Incorporated business names are protected from use by other incorporated businesses throughout Rhode Island, while registered trade names are protected from use by other trade names in the city/town in which they’re registered. Registering a trade name does not prevent an incorporated entity from registering to conduct business under the same name.
Learn more about the key differences between incorporated businesses and registered trade names.