NUANS name search

A buyer who forms a new corporation with a word name to acquire a business needs a name the registry will accept. NUANS is the search behind that step. It does not approve a name by itself; it is the list of similar names against which a name is judged. Registering the seller’s trading name after an asset deal is a separate step, covered in how to register a business name after an asset purchase.

How the federal process uses it

Corporations Canada says a proposed corporate name is compared with similar corporate names, business names or trademarks listed on the report, and that names that cause confusion with an existing one are not allowed as a general rule. The Nuans page says the search is integrated into most Canada Business Corporations Act and Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act online applications, so a separate report may not be needed. For some requests it says obtaining a report before filing is required, so read the page for your transaction.

Provincial use

Provinces run their own name rules. Alberta’s business name page, for example, describes a business name report of similar registered business, corporation and trademark names, provided by authorized NUANS members.