About Trade Name Search…
If you use a name to identify your business, it’s officially called a trade name. If you’re starting a business, it’s essential to choose an appropriate trade name. Selecting a good name for your business or legal entity (such as a limited company, foundation, or cooperative association) helps prevent confusion with other businesses. This matters because building brand recognition takes time and money.
When choosing a trade name, keep the following in mind:
– Trade names should not sound similar, e.g., GO2, Gowtoe, Go-tu, Gowtu.
– General words alone are not permitted, e.g., “Foundation House” or “Carwash,” as they are not distinctive.
– An internet address alone does not qualify as a trade name.
– Geographical place names alone are not allowed, e.g., “Paramaribo N.V.”
– Random letters that don’t form a word are not allowed, e.g., “N.V. YDS.”
– Names consisting solely of letters or numbers usually lack distinctiveness and are unsuitable as trade names.
– If the name of our country is used in the trade name, it must appear as “Suriname.”
– For foundations, the word “Foundation” must always be included in the name, including any abbreviations.
– For limited liability companies, “naamloze vennootschap” or the abbreviation “N.V.” must appear before or after the name, including any abbreviations.
– For cooperative associations, “cooperative” and the members’ liability type must be indicated. Liability types are:
a. W.A. = unlimited liability
b. G.A. = joint liability
c. U.A. = excluded liability
– The trade name must not have a negative meaning or create a misleading impression, even in a foreign language.
– Register or reserve your chosen trade name with the Chamber as soon as possible; otherwise, someone else might take it first.
STEPS
Step 1: Choose a Good Name
When selecting a business name, certain rules must be followed, such as:
a. Avoid Creating a Misleading Impression:
Do not present your business as something it is not:
– If you own a sole proprietorship, avoid terms like “& Sons,” “Brothers,” or “Company” in your trade name, as this implies multiple owners.
– You may only use terms like pharmacy, bank, broker, or insurer in your trade name if they accurately describe your business.
– Do not use someone else’s name in your trade name, even with their permission, unless you’ve taken over or purchased their business.
– You can use your own name only if it won’t be confused with an already known trade name or brand, e.g., “Jules Fernandes,” “H.J. de Vries,” “C. Kersten,” or “McDonald.”
– The name should not imply any government affiliation unless your business is indeed a government entity.
b. Do Not Use Other Brand Names:
Avoid choosing a trade name that resembles another company’s brand name. This can mislead the public into thinking your business produces goods associated with that brand.
c. Only Use Common Symbols:
Acceptable symbols include: @, &, and +.
d. Avoid Confusion with Existing Trade Names:
– A trade name must not be only slightly different from existing names, especially if the businesses offer similar services or share a service area. For example, Gumair N.V. is in the aviation sector, while N.V. Guimar is a trading company.
Step 2: Verify the Name of Your Business or Legal Entity
Check your business or entity name through this online system by searching as follows:
a. Enter the word(s) in syllables with percent signs (%) between them.
b. Consider pronunciation and sound.
c. Use different spellings.
d. Search for the most distinctive part of the name.
Explanation and Disclaimer
If there are more than 50 results, only the first 50 names similar to your entry will be shown. We cannot guarantee that all names resembling yours will be found or displayed by the search software. The results are arranged as closely as possible by similarity. THIS SYSTEM IS ONLY A TOOL, NOT A KKF INVESTIGATION OR ADVICE. Therefore, no rights can be derived from it, nor obligations imposed on the KKF. It reflects a single moment, as the registers are updated daily. KKF is not liable for any damages or costs arising from using this website.
Step 3: Also read the following documents
Read the following documents available on this website:
– Trade Name Act
– Foundations Act
– Cooperative Associations Act
– Commercial Code (N.V.)
– KKF Trade Name Brochure
– Evaluation Criteria for Public Limited Companies by the Ministry of Justice and Police
Step 4: Evaluate the Found Trade Name
Evaluate the use of the trade name based on the search results and the documents mentioned in Step 3 by answering the following questions yourself:
a. How similar are the trade names?
b. Do they involve the same activities?
c. Is there an overlap in the area of operations?
If you encounter many similar names in the search results, you can modify or add something to distinguish your name. Recheck the name afterward.
Step 5: Registration
For the name registration itself, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry offers the following options:
1. Confirmation of the order for your own account without reservation.
2. Confirmation of the order for your own account with reservation for SRD 100.00 per year.
3. Request for a name search by KKF with reservation for SRD 200.00 one-time, then SRD 100.00 per year.
Payment for these services is made in cash at the KKF office, along with a printed order form.