If you’re forming a state-registered business like an LLC or a corporation, your business name will become registered to you once you complete the state’s business formation paperwork. If you want to reserve a business name but you’re not ready to form your business, most states will allow you to reserve a business name for a set period of time by completing a name reservation application and paying a fee.
To obtain intellectual rights to your business name, you need to register it as a trademark. You can register a trademark at the state level, which gives you rights to the name within your state. If you want broader protection, you can register it at the federal level through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. However, this is a more costly and time-consuming process.
Trademarks come in different types. For example, there are word- and graphic-based trademarks. If you’re going to add your business name to your logo, it makes sense to register your logo as a trademark as well. For more information, contact your local agency that deals with trademark registration. The registration procedure is fee-based and implies checking your trademark for uniqueness.
If you’re going to do business across several countries or worldwide, you’ll have to register your trademark in each of these countries, or use the Madrid system for the international registration of trademarks.