A business name is the name or title under which a person or entity operates their business activities.

You are required to register a business name if you conduct business in Australia and do not trade under your own name.

Exemptions

You do not need to register a business name if:

• You are an individual, and your operating name is the same as your first and last name.
• You are in a partnership, and the operating name is the same as all partners’ names.
• You are an already registered Australian company, and the operating name matches your company’s registered name.

Note: You cannot alter your name to qualify for these exemptions. For example, if your name is John Smith, and your business is named John Smith & Co, you must register the name John Smith & Co.

Registering a business name:

• Does not give you exclusive ownership of the name.
• Does not prevent others from registering or using similar names.

To secure exclusive rights to a business name, you must register it as a trademark through IP Australia.

• Registering a business name is mandatory for most Australian businesses unless exemptions apply.
• To protect your brand, consider registering your name as a trademark and securing a domain name.
• Always verify your business name against existing trademarks and domain registrations to avoid legal issues.