Editing Trade name (section)

== By country ==
{{morerefs|section|date=May 2024}}
===Argentina===
In [[Argentina]], a trade name is known as a ''nombre de fantasía'' ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a ''razón social'' (social name).

===Brazil===
In [[Brazil]], a trade name is known as a ''nome fantasia'' ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called ''razão social'' (social name).

===Canada===
In some [[Canada|Canadian]] [[jurisdiction]]s, such as [[Ontario]], when a businessperson writes a trade name on a contract, invoice, or cheque, they must also add the legal name of the business.<ref>{{Cite canlaw
|short title  = Business Names Act
|abbr         = R.S.O.
|year         = 1990
|chapter      = B.17
|section      = 2
|subsection   = 6
|link         = http://canlii.ca/en/on/laws/stat/rso-1990-c-b17/latest/rso-1990-c-b17.html#sec2subsec6
|linkloc      = CanLII
}}</ref>

[[Numbered company|Numbered companies]] will very often operate as something other than their legal name, which is unrecognizable to the public.

===Chile===
In [[Chile]], a trade name is known as a ''nombre de fantasía'' ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a ''razón social'' (social name).

===Ireland===

In [[Ireland]], businesses are legally required to register business names where these differ from the surname(s) of the sole trader or partners, or the legal name of a company. The [[Companies Registration Office (Ireland)|Companies Registration Office]] publishes a searchable register of such business names.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cro.ie/Registration/Business-Name |title=Business Name Registration |publisher=Companies Registration Office |access-date=2022-02-01 |archive-date=2022-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201161055/https://www.cro.ie/Registration/Business-Name |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Japan===
In [[Japan]], the word {{nihongo|[[yagō]]|屋号}} is used.

===Kenya===
{{empty section|date=June 2024}}

===Nigeria===
In [[Colonial Nigeria]], certain tribes had members that used a variety of trading names to conduct business with the Europeans. Two examples were King [[George Oruigbiji Pepple|Perekule VII]] of [[Kingdom of Bonny|Bonny]], who was known as ''Captain Pepple'' in trade matters, and King [[Jubo Jubogha]] of [[Opobo]], who bore the pseudonym ''Captain Jaja''. Both Pepple and Jaja would bequeath their trade names to their royal descendants as official [[surname]]s upon their deaths.

===Singapore===
In [[Singapore]], there is no filing requirement for a "trading as" name, but there are requirements for disclosure of the underlying business or company's registered name and unique entity number.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifaq.gov.sg/askuen/apps/fcd_faqmain.aspx?qst=hRhkP9BzcBImsx2TBbssMsxu7lqt6UJK70a1wAEVmyczNbWS3iHCOd+9jp6z/tCyBUd289/q7wUH3RZ2aKgTzj2xfxhMmzH+sJebak7+y+euidLTw6YNGH9AVCG9zrTcmj5OKSbphKDqoIqjskmydEdqLf5ri0s08vP7byt+oZ5ht92VcG1hl8wvrM0yxnGwpgr74A91GaesKfjj0EYx4QavqIT/OvTw|title=Govt iFAQ|website=www.ifaq.gov.sg|access-date=2017-12-06|archive-date=2014-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726154552/http://www.ifaq.gov.sg/AskUEN/apps/fcd_faqmain.aspx?qst=hRhkP9BzcBImsx2TBbssMsxu7lqt6UJK70a1wAEVmyczNbWS3iHCOd%2B9jp6z%2FtCyBUd289%2Fq7wUH3RZ2aKgTzj2xfxhMmzH%2BsJebak7%2By%2BeuidLTw6YNGH9AVCG9zrTcmj5OKSbphKDqoIqjskmydEdqLf5ri0s08vP7byt%2BoZ5ht92VcG1hl8wvrM0yxnGwpgr74A91GaesKfjj0EYx4QavqIT%2FOvTw|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
In the [[United Kingdom]], there is no filing requirement for a "business name", defined as "any name under which someone carries on business" that, for a company or limited liability partnership, "is not its registered name", but there are requirements for disclosure of the owner's true name and some restrictions on the use of certain names.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/incorporation-and-names/incorporation-and-names#business-names |title=Incorporation and names| at = Chapter 9 Business names |publisher=[[Companies House]]|date= 6 April 2022}}</ref>

===United States===
A minority of U.S. states, including [[Washington (state)|Washington]], still use the term ''trade name'' to refer to "doing business as" (DBA) names.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/faqtradename.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606082016/http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/faqtradename.html|url-status=dead|title=WA State Licensing: Redirect page|archivedate=June 6, 2013|website=www.dol.wa.gov}}</ref> In most U.S. states now, however, DBAs are officially referred to using other terms. Almost half of the states, including [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Oregon]], use the terms ''assumed business name'' or ''assumed name'';<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dos.ny.gov/corps/assdnmins.html |title=NYS Division of Corporations, State Records and UCC |publisher=Dos.ny.gov |date=2014-11-07 |access-date=2020-03-09 |archive-date=2020-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213045256/https://www.dos.ny.gov/corps/assdnmins.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/registering-your-business-name.aspx Oregon Registering Your Business Name FAQ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505204538/https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/registering-your-business-name.aspx |date=2021-05-05 }} from the Oregon Secretary of State</ref> nearly as many, including [[Pennsylvania]], use the term ''fictitious name''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dos.pa.gov/BusinessCharities/Business/Resources/Pages/Fictitious-Names.aspx |title=Fictitious Names |publisher=Dos.pa.gov |access-date=2020-03-09 |archive-date=2020-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213063935/https://www.dos.pa.gov/BusinessCharities/Business/Resources/Pages/Fictitious-Names.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

For [[consumer protection]] purposes, many U.S. jurisdictions require businesses operating with fictitious names to file a DBA statement, though names including the first and last name of the owner may be accepted.<ref>{{cite web|title=Doing Business As: What Is It and Do You Need It?; Freshbooks Blog May 7, 2013|url=http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2013/05/07/doing-business-as/|date=2019-12-06|access-date=2015-09-26|archive-date=2015-01-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110002810/http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2013/05/07/doing-business-as/|url-status=live}}</ref> This also reduces the possibility of two local businesses operating under the same name, although some jurisdictions do not provide exclusivity for a name, or may allow more than one party to register the same name. Note, though, that this is not a substitute for filing a [[trademark]] application. A DBA filing carries no legal weight in establishing trademark rights.<ref>{{cite web|title=Protecting Your Trademark|url=http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/BasicFacts.pdf|work=booklet|publisher=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office|US Patent and Trademark Office]]|access-date=1 January 2013|archive-date=4 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204071924/http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/BasicFacts.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the U.S., trademark rights are acquired by use in commerce, but there can be substantial benefits to filing a trademark application.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hanson|first=Mary|title=Corporate Names, Trade Names, Trademarks, and Fictitious Names|url=http://bizadvisor.com/NamesTrademarks.htm|publisher=The Business Advisor|access-date=1 January 2013|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080655/http://bizadvisor.com/NamesTrademarks.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Sole proprietorship|Sole proprietors]] are the most common users of DBAs. Sole proprietors are individual business owners who run their businesses themselves. Since most people in these circumstances use a business name other than their own name,{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}} it is often necessary for them to get DBAs.

Generally, a DBA must be registered with a local or state government, or both, depending on the jurisdiction. For example, California, Texas and Virginia require a DBA to be registered with each county (or [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] in the case of Virginia) where the owner does business. Maryland and Colorado have DBAs registered with a state agency. Virginia also requires corporations and LLCs to file a copy of their registration with the county or city to be registered with the State Corporation Commission.

DBA statements are often used in conjunction with a [[franchising|franchise]]. The franchisee will have a legal name under which it may sue and be sued, but will conduct business under the franchiser's [[brand name]] (which the public would recognize). A typical real-world example can be found in a well-known pricing [[Mistake (contract law)|mistake]] case, ''Donovan v. RRL Corp.'' (2001),<ref>''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2688191648606149510 Donovan v. RRL Corp.]'', 26 Cal. 4th 261, 109 Cal. Rptr. 2d 807, 27 P.3d 702 (2001).</ref> where the named defendant, RRL Corporation, was a Lexus [[car dealership]] doing business as "[[Lexus]] of [[Westminster, California|Westminster]]", but remaining a separate legal entity from Lexus, a division of [[Toyota Motor Sales, USA|Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.]].

In [[California]], filing a DBA statement also requires that a notice of the fictitious name be published in local [[newspaper]]s for some set period of time to inform the public of the owner's intent to operate under an [[assumed name]]. The intention of the law is to protect the public from fraud, by compelling the business owner to first file or register his fictitious business name with the county clerk, and then making a further public record of it by publishing it in a newspaper.<ref>{{cite web|title=Los Angeles Bright DBA Filing |url=http://www.signaturefiling.com/blog/dba-filing-county/los-angeles-dba-filing/|website=Signature Filing Blog |access-date=2016-05-06|archive-date=2016-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604125759/http://www.signaturefiling.com/blog/dba-filing-county/los-angeles-dba-filing/|url-status=dead }}</ref> Several other states, such as [[Illinois]], require print notices as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2299&ChapterID=65|title=805 ILCS 405/ Assumed Business Name Act.|website=Illinois General Assembly|language=en|access-date=2018-02-21|archive-date=2017-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209143758/http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2299&ChapterID=65|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Uruguay===
In [[Uruguay]], a trade name is known as a ''nombre fantasía'', and the legal name of business is called a ''razón social''.