smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

There is no central record of sole trader business or trading names. If you wish to protect the trading name of the business you will then need to register it as a limited company. If you decide to do this then currently, you need to have at least one company director and a company secretary. Visit the Companies House website by clicking here for instructions on how to become a limited company.

To further protect your business name from use by others you can register it as a trade mark, or a domain name (for your website and email addresses), or both. The Patent Office regulates trade mark registration (call 08459 500505 or visit www.patent.gov.uk). To check web domain names free of charge, search at a name registration service such as www.netnames.co.uk.