Editing Trade name (section)

{{IPA|}}{{Short description|Name that a business trades under for commercial purposes}}
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{{redirect|D/b/a||DBA (disambiguation)}}
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A '''trade name''', '''trading name''', or '''business name''' is a [[pseudonym]] used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name.<ref name="LoPucki_Page_60">{{cite book |last1=LoPucki |first1=Lynn M. |last2=Verstein |first2=Andrew |author1-link=Lynn M. LoPucki |title=Business Associations: A Systems Approach |edition=2nd |date=2024 |publisher=Aspen Publishing |location=Burlington, Massachusetts |isbn=9798892073653 |pages=60–61 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twgNEQAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 |access-date=November 15, 2024}}</ref> The term for this type of alternative name is '''fictitious business name'''.<ref name="LoPucki_Page_60" /> Registering the fictitious name with a relevant government body is often required.

In a number of countries, the phrase "'''trading as'''" (abbreviated to '''t/a''') is used to designate a trade name. In the [[United States]], the phrase "'''doing business as'''" (abbreviated to '''DBA''', '''dba''', '''d.b.a.''', or '''d/b/a''') is used,<ref name="LoPucki_Page_60" /><ref name="Pinkerton">''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12111403894102280465 Pinkerton's, Inc. v. Superior Court] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230011746/http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12111403894102280465 |date=2016-12-30 }}'', 49 Cal. App. 4th 1342, 1348-49, 57 Cal. Rptr. 2d 356, 360 (1996) (collecting cases and explaining term of art "doing business as" (DBA)).</ref> among others, such as '''assumed business name'''<ref>{{cite web|title=Search|work=SOSNC.gov|publisher=[[North Carolina Secretary of State]]|date=2018|access-date=June 20, 2018|url=https://www.sosnc.gov/search/index/corp|archive-date=December 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226012226/https://www.sosnc.gov/search/index/corp|url-status=live}}</ref> or '''fictitious business name'''.<ref>[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&division=7.&title=&part=3.&chapter=5.&article= California Business and Professions Code Section 17900] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802104036/https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&division=7.&title=&part=3.&chapter=5.&article= |date=2019-08-02 }} ''et seq''.</ref> In [[Canada]], "'''operating as'''" (abbreviated to '''o/a''') and "''trading as''" are used, although "''doing business as''" is also sometimes used.<ref name="business-registration">{{cite web|url=https://businessregistration.ca/business-registration/|title=Business Registration|publisher=BusinessRegistration.ca|date=2015|access-date=17 March 2016|archive-date=26 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326115347/https://businessregistration.ca/business-registration/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A company typically uses a trade name to conduct business using a simpler name rather than using their formal and often lengthier name. Trade names are also used when a preferred name cannot be registered, often because it may already be registered or is too similar to a name that is already registered.