I am setting up as auto entrepreneur and am planning to have a business name. I have looked for the proposed name on the INPI site with their free search and I wondered if anyone had used their paying searches and if it was necessary to do this.
Hi Louise,
i just googled the name and didn't find anything at all - not teh most correct way I am sure but it worked.
Did you check with anglophone company names? My name is going to be in English and I did wonder about this as well.
I just took a gamble that 'Burgundy by Request' was not going to be that popular as a French company name!
As Tracy says, you can have a business name but you must register under your own name, but did you do a name search on the INPI site and did you check it with the Chamber of Commerce?
again, ditto
Yes, they only tell you what they want to and back in 2009 they didn't have a clue what was going on and what it was all about as you well know Tracy! I did ask but was given the official story and not told about the "loophole" - like Brian, it doesn't actually affect me as work is freelance and of a nature that it has to be me that does it. I can see the advantages for you though ;-)
I guess it depends on what you do - as a tour guide having 'Burgundy' in the name helps a lot, same for my husband as we are very regional based although in different ways.
Ahh but we all know the official paperwork doesn't tell you everything, you have to go looking for these little secrets! Can't remember how I discovered it but it's certainly quite a long time ago as my husband and I both registered in 2009 and although not on official AE paperwork it's on everything else.
ditto tracy, not that it matters in my case fortunately.
I stand corrected Tracy! When I set up it clearly stated in the official info pack that I had to trade under my own name and couldn't use a business name...!
Err - you can have a business name as AE guys - I have one and it is even on my cheque book for my AE bank accounts. It's like the UK equivalent of Fred Blogs T/A ABC Repairs'.
You have to inscribe under your own name and that is your legal identity but you can have a nom commercial, see here
Both names are on the bank account - that way my bank will accept cheques made out to me and also my company name.
as andrew says, own name and that is that. if you are part of a group such as a cooperative then that can have a name but you will have to 'single trade' within it. we looked into setting up a company, advice is do not or else learn about pay, pay, pay...
You can only trade under your own name (ie Louise dallery) as an AE, no choice, you can't have a business name :-(