Naming your perfect brand is one of the main steps involved in creating your business identity, and it’s really important that, before you make your mind up, you verify its availability and ascertain non-use by another owner. It is a pretty simple and important process in Singapore that can save future legal complications and branding conflicts. The article explains the steps taken for check brand name availability in singapore through a brand name availability checker and how one can check whether their preferred brand name has already been taken.
Steps to Check Brand Name Availability in Singapore
There are a few ways to conduct an check brand name availability in Singapore. Here’s how you could go about ensuring that the name you have decided on is unique and safe legally:
1. Conduct a search at ACRA BizFile+.
Business name registration falls under the purview of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore, known as ACRA. As a matter of fact, one of the very first steps one would have to take is to conduct a name search using ACRA BizFile+ in this country. This gives them a leeway to find out whether the name they want has already been registered by another company or perhaps just a sole proprietorship.
You can then book or make a reservation for that name if it is available on the very same platform. This check covers only business names, not trademarks, so further steps are necessary.
2. IPOS’ Trademark Search Tool
What it means is that even though the name of your company is available on the online portal conducted by ACRA, it does not mean that the name is free to use as a trademark. For complete protection of your brand, you have to find out whether the desired name has already been registered as a trademark in Singapore. This is administered under the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, commonly known as IPOS.
If your name is not registered as a trademark, then that means it is available to be trademarked by you as part of your branding strategy.
3. Domain Name Check
With every brand name, there should be a domain name associated with an online presence. Once you find your brand name available on ACRA and IPOS, the next step should be to check whether an appropriate domain name is available.
Checking the Availability of the Domain Name:
Popular domain registration platforms include GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Google Domains. You will be able to check the availability of the domain in desired format-for example, .com or .sg-with your brand name. Securing your domain name is another way to protect your brand and try to avoid conflicts with other businesses operating similar names.
Easy steps to check brand name availability in Singapore
Brand Name Availability Checker in Singapore
You might find online tools that will make it easy for you by checking brand name availability across various platforms. These brand name checkers check for business name, trademark, and domain-including all in one to see if your brand name is taken.
Some of them include:
- Namechk: It is a tool used to search for your username on social media, domain names, and many other places to help secure your brand name in various locations.
- Knowem: Knowem performs a complete search of the brand name across social media, domains, and trademark databases to provide comprehensive feedback. One of these services is really valuable if you want to save time by consulting a single resource to run all the necessary checks.
Check to see if Brand Name is Taken
With these steps, I go ahead and summarize the best way to check if a brand name is taken in Singapore:
- ACRA BizFile+ – This is the government web portal that will enable you to determine any business name that has existed.
- IPOS Trademark Search – Make sure your brand name does not show up as being a registered trademark.
- Domain Name Search: Confirm the availability of the website URL that corresponds to your brand name on domain registration platforms.
- Social Media Search: A random search on social media sites to confirm whether any brand already uses this name.
In this way, you will take your next step for branding your business confidently, knowing that your name is unique and safeguarded.
Verify the availability of a brand name with ease
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Although a brand name check may sound pretty simple, there are some few very common mistakes to avoid in the process:
- Looking Over Similar Names: Though it is not registered exactly as your name per se, that doesn’t mean any similar names are not taken. Be wary of similar names close enough to yours, as those could create confusion and mess you up legally.
- Not searching for a trademark: ACRA only lists business names and not trademarks. Even if the business name you desire is available, you could have fights over your name if you fail to conduct a search of the trademark register.
- Not reserving the domain name: This is an essential step in brand name checking. Even if your brand name and trademark are available, missing out on the matching domain name will weaken your brand online.
How to Check if a Brand Name is Taken
This means that inability to verify the brand name’s availability may result in some legal disputes or issues. This may put you in a worse position where you have to rename your brand over a later date if any other business had already used that name, or worse, had registered the mark. This may become highly expensive and time-consuming. Most importantly, using a brand name that’s taken might also get you into infringement claims against you, thus damaging your reputation with both your employees and customers.
You can save yourself from such pitfalls and keep a distinctive identity for your brand if you do a proper check.
Learn how to determine if a brand name is already taken
How to Check Brand Name Availability
All the steps discussed in the application process above, with ACRA BizFile+, a trademark search by IPOS, and verification that the desired domain name is available, mean that a brand name check works out an important protection for your business, allowing it to develop a strong and recognizable brand.
Using a brand name availability checker, it makes it quite simple to show whether your brand name is taken over multiple platforms and registers. Whether it is a new venture or it is a rebranding of an already existing business, detailed research will save you from legal disputes and rebranding costs in the future.
It is an investment in the longevity and success of a business just to take a minute and see if your brand name is available.
Steps to check brand name availability for successful registration
Conclusion
In summary, the check brand name availability in Singapore is one of the most important steps to protect the interest of a business and its legality. Firstly, one needs to conduct a search on the ACRA BizFile+ platform, which provides confirmation that the name has not already been used as a filing for a business entity. Then, check with IPOS that the name is not trademarked using their online trademark search facility. Also, check the availability of domain names so that you can secure your name online. A proper search will avoid potential legal conflicts and rebranding costs later on. Rest assured, a brand name unique to your local or global market is ready.
