Trading names

[Fotis19]

Hello,

I'm new to starting my business, but I have a very specific problem. I

I've just registered my ltd co. yesterday, but I want to use trading names for 3 very separate aspects for: independent teaching and course preparation; indepednent research and consultancy; and online content. They each target different clientelle so I don't want the people I do research and consultancy seeing the teaching, for instance.

However, trading names are not secure as someone else can register them as their own ltd. co. Also, I cannot trademark the trading names, and I do not want to juggle several limited companies, so how else can I go about this?

With the teaching, in particular, I would be creating my own resources from scratch and charging the student for these resources and my teaching so I was planning on using a trading name, putting a copyright symbol on all my resources and mentioning that the trading name is owned by the ltd co. Is this the best solution?

I'm aware that I can create a subsidiary by registering each trading name as owned by the ltd. co. but this means I still have to setup a registration address, service address and send in accounts when administratively everything will be managed by the ltd. co.

I've looked into setting up a dormant co. for a trading name, but that's still as costly as above and I'm not sure if I can use the trading name even if all the accounts goes through the ltd. co. Does anyone know?

And what other solutions are there?

 

[Noah]

Also, I cannot trademark the trading names

Why not? Look for trading names that you can trademark?

 

[Scalloway]

Dormant company accounts should just be a case of inserting a couple of figures on a form.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/file-your-dormant-accounts-aa02

 

[Fotis19]

Why not? Look for trading names that you can trademark?

Apparently it's a case of providing a logo if I go the trademark route, but since it's early days I was just looking to securing the name and the intellectual property of the resources I create and sell.

 

[Fotis19]

Dormant company accounts should just be a case of inserting a couple of figures on a form.

Thank you for the response an link. However, that would require me to create ltd. companies an that may be too early at this stage.

 

[Fotis19]

I've spoken to a lawyer through a free consultation and they recommend using trading names until the business grows enough to need trademarks and proctecting the web domain and so on.

 

[Noah]

Apparently it's a case of providing a logo if I go the trademark route

I am no expert, but a trademark does not require a logo or any image - a word or words can be trademarked, with or separately from an image.

 

[Fotis19]

I am no expert, but a trademark does not require a logo or any image - a word or words can be trademarked, with or separately from an image.

Thanks, I'll look into that.

 

[Noah]

Thanks, I'll look into that.

IPO - Trade marks
DIY if it's unique and straightforward.

 

[Fotis19]

DIY is the only way for me and my non-existent budget!

 

[MandaBarnes]

Very interesting... I'll be eager to see additional information on this! Thanks for starting the thread.

 

[Fotis19]

Very interesting... I'll be eager to see additional information on this! Thanks for starting the thread.

I spoke to a lawyer through a free consultation and he recommended using trading names until the business took off and then thinking of trademarking names and copyrighting once I moved onto online. He did initially recommend setting up ltd. companies for each trading name, which I pointed out sounds too much like hard work for me when you think of the accounting and record keeping, etc.