How do I get a sole proprietorship business permit?

Basic Requirements and Procedure in Registering a Sole Proprietor Business Register a business name at Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Register your business with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Registration with Barangay. Register your business in the Mayor's Office.

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How do I know if a business name is trademarked?

You can search all applied-for and registered trademarks free of charge by using the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)'s Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). If your mark includes a design element, you will have to search it by using a design code. Is the owner of an LLC public record? This can usually be accomplished with an online search. Because LLC filings are public information, checking the documents should provide the information you need.

How do I trademark a name for free?

You can not register a trademark for free. However, you can establish something known as a "common law trademark" for free, simply by opening for business. The benefit of relying on common law trademark rights is that it's free, and you don't need to do any specific work filling out forms, etc. Can you have the same business name as someone else? Generally, as long as no one else in your state is using that business name, you can call your company whatever you like. Names are doled out on a first-come, first-served basis. That said, you can run into trademark issues if your business and another's fall within the same category or are substantially similar.