Registering Studio name....

[Jeyan]

Anyone know how to register a studio name? I have a few questions regarding that ......Is that done in the same copyright office or some where else? How much would it usually cost to do this? How to make sure that my studio name doesn't already exist..... Any idea?

 

[g on the wc]

Registering a "studio name" has nothing to do with copyrights. That would have to with business filings and trademarks or servicemarks. Let's say you have 'abc studio'. The first thing you would want to do would be to check with the local city or county registrar/clerk (at least that's what it is in la). Then you would file a FBN or fictious business name statement that says your studio is doing business as "abc studios" if no one else has that name than you can use it. That only covers local/state areas. You can register the name/logo with the USPTO and get trademark that incorporates the name of the studio that would give you nat'l coverage. Look- this could be very simple or much more complicated depending on your goals. I would start with looking into a FBN first. This whole area of name protection and rights can get quite messy. Hope that helps!!

 

[HomeRec]

It kind of depends on what you mean by "register". I get the sense you are looking to "register" the name of your studio so that nobody can use it. That would fall into the area of Trademarks. Information can be found at http://www.uspto.gov/, including a rudimentary search of existing trademarks, fees and submission guidelines.

If you're referring to "registering" your studio as a business, then you will need to visit your local town/city hall and register the studio as a business, incurring a small fee. Call your local town/city hall for more information.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dani Pace]

Dont forget to register with your state tax office and get a tax id number. Having a tax id/business licence will also get you into trade shows which are restristed to dealers and allow you to buy materals and supplies dirrect from the manufacturer. Also a tax id will allow you to claim most of your (related) expenses for a tax write off, just like the big corporations.