Before incorporating an Alaska LLC, all firms should do an Alaska Business Name Search.
In our Alaska Business Search tutorial, we’ll teach you how to verify LLC name availability.
Table of Contents
Alaska Entity Lookup
1. Adhere to the Alaska Naming Guidelines
Before finishing your business name search, we suggest double-checking that your company name complies with the standards.
The first and most significant step in forming your LLC is deciding on a name. Make sure your name conforms with Alaska naming rules and is readily searched by prospective customers.
Please adhere to the following naming guidelines:
The word “limited liability corporation” or one of its acronyms must be in your name (LLC or L.L.C.).
Your LLC’s name cannot include terms that may be confused with a government organisation (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.).
Restricted terms (e.g., bank, attorney, university) may need extra documentation and the participation of a licenced professional, such as a doctor or lawyer, in your LLC.
2. Conduct a business name search in Alaska.
You may verify the availability of your selected name in Alaska’s Corporations Database before completing your name reservation request. You may look for an entity by its name, officers, or registered agents. It’s worth noting that, despite the name, it also contains LLCs and other corporate organisations. To conduct the most effective search, enter the desired name, eliminating identifiers such as “LLC,” and leave all other fields blank. This will return any entities with names that are the same or similar.
To prevent rejection, undertake a comprehensive search before submitting your papers.
3. Look for Available Domain Names
Another crucial factor to consider when choosing a company name is if the desired web domain name is available. It is critical to have a URL that properly reflects your company name. This apparently little activity may have a significant impact on how potential clients locate your company.
4. Reserve the name of your Alaska business entity.
All LLC name questions and requests are handled by Alaska’s Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing. Names may be reserved for 120 days with the goal of utilising the name for commercial purposes.
Other Factors to Consider
Multiple business licences with the same name are permitted in Alaska. However, by submitting a Business Name Reservation or Business Name Registration, a company may secure exclusive rights to a business name. A Business Name Reservation safeguards a name for 120 days, but a Business Name Registration safeguards a name for 5 years. In order to reserve or register a name for your LLC, it must be distinct from existing registered business companies in the state. However, before you file your papers, you should do some further investigation.
You should ensure that your name, or one very similar to it, is not being used by unregistered firms such as sole proprietorships or partnerships, that it has not been trademarked by another company in your state or industry, and that it is otherwise accessible for use on the internet. This will assist guarantee that you have complete and unlimited usage of your company name.
Trademark Lookup
Before registering your company name and related slogans or emblems, do a trademark search to avoid potential expensive lawsuits. The discovery that another entity has trademarked your company name does not immediately exclude you from utilising it.
However, it is critical to understand who is using the name, what sector they are in, and where they are situated in order to avoid unwittingly infringing on anyone’s intellectual property rights.
To finish this step:
Search Alaska’s trademark records to determine whether your company’s name or any related slogans, logos, or other identifiers are already in use by another company in your The state’s list is updated four times a year, so be sure to check the most recent version.
Search the digitised records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office for any federally registered trademarks linked with your company name.
Search on Social Media
Finding a domain name that matches your company is just as vital, if not more important, than ensuring that your business name is accessible You may accomplish this by simply Googling your company’s name on each major website, or by using a service like Namecheckr to search across all platforms at once.
In conclusion
Choosing a name for your company is a vital first step in forming a successful LLC, and it is a simple process. After you’ve discovered your desired name using Alaska’s Business Entity Search, you’ll want to obtain your domain name so that your customers can locate you online. Having your name reserved with the Department of Commerce can help you stand out from the crowd. After you’ve obtained your name, you’ll be ready to take the following steps to create your LLC.