Business Name Registration @ DTI

Department of Trade and Industry(DTI) is one of the government agencies that you need to register with when starting a business(including online business) and below are are the reasons why:

To ensure that no prior no prior registrant and lawful user of an identical or confusingly similar BN exists.

To ensure that the proposed business name is - 

     a) not and will not be used for business that is illegal, offensive, scandalous, or contrary to propriety (ex. Pop's Jueteng Betting Station, Boobs Massage and Spa, etc);

     b) not the same or nearly the same as an existing registered business, company, partnership, corporation, cooperative name, nor it infringes on an trademark, service mark and tradename (Anne Dok's Lechon, Jolibee, Starbax Cafe);

     c) not composed purely of generic or geographic words (The Drugstore, Bacolod's);

     d) not a name which by law or regulation cannot be appropriated (OTOP. Intelligence, State College); 

     e) not used to designate or distinguish, or suggestive of quality of any class of goods, articles, merchandise, or service (Best Taho Factory, A-1 Auto Repair Shop);

     f) not used by the government in its governmental functions; (ex. NBI Private Investigation Services, DTI Trading);

     g) not a name or abbreviation of a name of any nation, inter-governmental or international organization (Philippine Manpower Pooling Agency, UNESCO Marketing, WHO Health Services); 

     h) is not deceptive, misleading or which misrepresent the nature of business. (GOLD Training Services where nature of business is recruitment).

SOURCE : Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)