“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” — Shakespeare may have been right about romance, but in business, your name carries significant weight.
The Don'ts in Business Names
When registering with the DTI, your proposed business name must NOT:
- Be used for illegal, scandalous, or improper businesses
- Match existing registered businesses or infringe trademarks
- Consist of generic or geographic terms alone
- Be names protected by law or regulation
- Suggest qualities of goods or services in a misleading way
- Represent government non-proprietary operations
- Use nation or international organization names/abbreviations
- Misrepresent the business nature
Territorial Scope
Territorial scope determines your exclusive usage authority within jurisdictions:
- Barangay Level: Limited to specific barangay; others outside can use the same name
- City/Region/National: Progressively broader exclusivity rights
Important: Territorial scope does NOT restrict where transactions occur — only where physical locations (stores, branches) can be established.
Our Recommendation
We advise choosing National scope because it:
- Removes location restrictions for brick-and-mortar stores
- Protects your business reputation from competitors using identical names
- Costs only PHP 2,000 (+tax) for lasting peace of mind