Companies and business names
(for all nations)
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The Companies Act 2006 (Part 5, Chapters 1-5) deals with permitted names and also the use of certain words and expressions in the name of a company, name changes and powers of the Secretary of State.
The provisions are specified in The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business Names (Sensitive Words and Expressions) Regulations 2009 which govern the use of sensitive words and expressions, prohibiting the use of certain words and expressions without the approval of the Secretary of State, in a similar manner to the previous Business Names Act 1985. The regulations also specify that for certain names the view of the relevant Government department or other body is required and an indication in writing of whether that department / body has any objections to the proposed name, and if so why. Examples include ‘national’, ‘dental’ and the use of any name likely to give the impression that the company is connected with the Government or a local authority.
The Company and Business Names (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2009 then set out further specific requirements and prohibitions on a company name, including the use of punctuation marks.
Part 5, Chapter 6 of The Companies Act 2006 concerns the trading disclosures, brought into force by The Companies (Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2008 (as amended).
