In Manitoba when you register a corporation, a partnership, operating trade name being registered on behalf of a company, a sole proprietorship or an extra-provincial corporation a Manitoba name search report will be required. In Manitoba you cannot register any name which is exactly or similar to another name already registered. This is also called a Manitoba Reservation Report.
Pre-Clearance of Proposed Name
Having a Manitoba Reservation Report is no guarantee that your proposed business name will be accepted by the Manitoba government. It is important to pre-clear your business name first. As part of our service we will pre-clear your proposed name(s) prior to obtaining the Manitoba name search report for you. This will provide you with a much higher chance of success first time around. You should also pay particular attention to any conflicting names which are registered trade marks since those names are highly protected. Our pre-clearance will bring those types of conflicts to your attention in advance of obtaining your full Manitoba Reservation Report.
The Manitoba government indicates that only one name can be requested at a time. Therefore, pre-clearing the name in advance will help to ensure that your name has a higher chance of approval. We have over 30 years of experience in name granting and will do our best to ensure you have a good chance of acceptance.
Elements of a Manitoba Name
The Manitoba government is very particular about the aspects of a proposed name. It must contain all three elements (1) a distinctive element, (2) a descriptive element, and (3) a legal element. Below are examples of all three:
Distinctive Element - This is the most important part of the name. It should be different and very distinct from any other name already registered in Manitoba and as well should be different and distinct from all other names registered in all provinces and territories across Canada. This can be a coined name (i.e. a made up word: Soopy Snowblowing Inc.), a name that describes a region or city (i.e. Winnipeg Race Car Repair Shop Inc.), family name (provided the incorporator/registrant consents to the use of the name) or a Noun (i.e. Green Draperies Corp.).
Descriptive Element - This element should describe the services to be carried on by the proposed business or a overall summary of the items to be sold by the business. This is also very important because the Manitoba examiners will want to see this element defined very closely to the nature of business. Using the name Thompson Enterprises Inc. will be too general. A much better choice would be Thompson Rental Management Services Ltd.
Legal Element - In the case of business names such as Manitoba sole proprietorships, Manitoba partnerships and operating trade names being registered on behalf of a Manitoba company, the legal element is not required.
However, if you are registering a Manitoba corporation you must have a legal element. There is no difference between them as far as meaning goes. It is just a matter of picking the one that sounds the best with the rest of the name you have chosen. The legal elements are: Ltd., Limited, Corp., Corporation, Inc. or Incorporated.
Reservation Number
Once you have your MB name search report, it will show a Reservation Number in the upper left side of page one. You will submit the full Manitoba Reservation Report to the government together with the registration documents for your new incorporation, sole proprietorship, partnership or extra-provincial registration.
Manitoba Name Reservation Report
