Company Names in General

Company name is an important way of distinguishing a company from other companies in the industry. It is common to set up a business name by combining the name of a geographical place with the business activity, for instance “Western Finland Real Estate Agents Ltd.” The company name can also be based on the name of the entrepreneur. The most distinguishable business names are often, however, completely fictional. Protecting the company name is important in preventing competitors from unjustly benefiting from the company’s good reputation. And on the other hand, another, less reputable company that uses a similar company name may damage the reputation of the company, if the clients should confuse the two companies.

The term "business name" is used in two different senses. On the one hand, the name of a sole trader [sole trader] is used as a business name ("Mikko Mallikas T:mi") and, on the other hand, a business name generally refers to the name of a company regardless of its legal form ("Malliyhtiö Oy" or "Malliyhtiö Ky"). In this text, the business name refers to the name of the company in general, without regard to the legal form.

Besides its company name, a company may also use a secondary name or symbol in its operations, which may be, for example, a part of the company name or the auxiliary company name (so-called distinctive element), an abbreviation or a figure. A company registered in the Trade Register may carry on one part of its business under an auxiliary company name. The term parallel company name, on the other hand, refers to a translation of a company name into another language.