Company names
A name can be free as a domain, clear on the trademark registers, and still be rejected by the registry you have to incorporate with. Every jurisdiction maintains its own list of words that are restricted, reserved or simply not allowed, and the rules are more specific than most founders expect.
- United Kingdom: words that need approvalCompanies House treats a long list of words as sensitive, and using one turns a same-day incorporation into a correspondence exercise
- United Arab Emirates: trade name rulesThe name has to match the licensed activity, carry the legal form, and avoid several categories of word entirely
The rule that holds almost everywhere
A company-name registry checks whether a name is too like an existing registration, not whether it infringes anyone's rights. Being accepted by a registry is not a defence to a trademark claim, and being refused by one does not mean anybody holds rights in the name. The two systems are unrelated and both have to be satisfied.
Reviewed 2026-09-20. Reference material for people choosing a name; it is not legal advice.