Internet Marketing

I've just been reading some of the rules on what is not allowed in registered business names here in the UK and it is a potential minefield. Some of it is fairly straightforward because, for instance, a medical term cannot be used unless the business is being run by licensed medical practitioners. Others seem strange such as not being allowed to use '2012' in a name because, despite it just being a year in the calendar, it is controlled under a government act because of the London Olympics in that year.

Follow up:

There is no absolute requirement to register a business name in the UK but it is a consideration for the future. After all, you would not want to spend some time establishing a name in your chosen niche and becoming successful only to suddenly discover that the name would be impossible to register.

For UK businesses, the guidance can be found at Companies House and the link is http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gpllp1.shtml although this paricular document is for limited liability partnershps

Other countries are quite likely to have similar rules although the detail will vary.