Trade name, company name, shop sign: the differences in France

The company name (dénomination sociale) is the legal name of a French company, set in its articles of association; the trade name (nom commercial) identifies the business operated, and the shop sign (enseigne) marks the premises. These three signs, plus the trademark and the domain name, are recorded in different places and protected in different ways.

This article is a side-by-side glossary of these signs (definition, register, scope, change). The protection strategy, including trademark filing and budget, is covered in our article on protecting your name and brand from launch.

Quick answer. The company name (dénomination sociale) is the legal name of the company, set in the articles of association and protected in France, for the activities carried on, from registration in the National Business Register (RNE). The trade name identifies the business, the shop sign the premises; a trademark is filed with the INPI (190 euros online for one class in 2026).

The difference between company name, trade name, shop sign, trademark and domain name lies in what each sign identifies: the legal entity, the business operated, the premises, the goods and services, or the website address. Here is a one-sentence definition of each.

• Company name (dénomination sociale): the company name is the official name that identifies the company as a legal entity, the equivalent of a surname for an individual.
• Trade name (nom commercial): the trade name is the name under which the business is known to the public for its activity and which identifies its goodwill (fonds de commerce); it may be identical to the company name or different.
• Shop sign (enseigne): the shop sign is the sign displayed on the front of an establishment to identify and locate it.
• Trademark (marque): a trademark is a sign filed with the French National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) that distinguishes specific goods or services, in chosen classes.
• Domain name (nom de domaine): the domain name is the address of a website, allocated on a "first come, first served" basis through a registrar.

The table below summarises, for each sign, where it appears and how the right arises.

Our view#

At the firm, we advise reasoning by function rather than by name: the company name serves legal purposes, the trade name and shop sign serve local customers, the trademark serves the intangible asset. A founder selling online across France cannot rely on a trade name, whose protection stays limited to its customer area.

The company name must appear in the company's articles of association (statuts), then in the Kbis extract and in the National Business Register (RNE) after registration through the business formalities one-stop shop run by the INPI. It must also appear on invoices and commercial documents.

The trade name and shop sign are not mandatory, but the French administration states that a trade name in use must be declared when registering in the RNE (and, where applicable, in the trade and companies register, RCS). Once declared, they appear on the registration extract; our annotated Kbis extract example shows where to read each of these entries.

The trademark, on the other hand, appears neither in the articles nor on the Kbis: it lives in the INPI trademark register, under its own number. This is why a company can have a company name without owning the matching trademark.

Checking that a business name is available means consulting at least three sources before finalising the articles: the business database (RNE), the trademark database and the domain name registries. The Data INPI database lets you check a name free of charge against company names, trade names and trademarks in force in France, including EU and international marks.

1. Search the exact name and its variants (spelling, plural, translation) in the Data INPI business database, which carries RNE data.
2. Search the Data INPI trademark database, filtering on the classes that match your activity.
3. Check the government's Annuaire des entreprises (business directory) and a general search engine to spot unregistered commercial use.
4. Test the availability of the relevant domain names (.fr, .com) with a registrar.
5. Keep a dated record of these searches (screenshots, exports) in the incorporation file.

The underestimated risk#

The underestimated risk is searching only for the identical name. A prior right is not limited to the same name: a sign that is phonetically or visually close, for a similar activity, is enough to create a likelihood of confusion. The free database does not replace a thorough prior-rights search when the name is meant to become a business asset; the INPI itself offers a dedicated availability search service for trademarks, company names and domain names.

Registering your company name as a trademark is not mandatory, but it is the only way to obtain an exclusive nationwide right to that name for specific goods and services. The company name protects the corporate name; on its own it does not prevent every use of the sign by a third party as a trademark.

Filing a trademark online with the INPI costs 190 euros for one class of goods or services, then 40 euros per additional class, according to the INPI fee schedule in force since 2 July 2026. Classes follow the international Nice classification, and the trademark is protected for 10 years, renewable.

We do not repeat the filing strategy here (choice of classes, full budget, EU extension): it is covered in our article on protecting your name and brand from launch, and the contractual side (NDAs, assignment of rights) in the guide on trademark and intellectual property protection with the INPI. For a technical innovation rather than a name, the patent logic applies.

Trade-off: one name or several#

The trade-off between one name and several depends on the project. A single name (company name = trade name = trademark = domain) simplifies communication and concentrates protection, provided you have checked that all five signs are available. Separate names make sense for a holding company, a company running several concepts, or a business meant to be sold separately.

For an online selling project, naming choices go hand in hand with the legal form and VAT choices covered in our article on setting up an online store.

A sole trader (entrepreneur individuel) does not freely choose a business name: the name of the sole proprietorship is the entrepreneur's surname and first name, preceded or followed by the words "entrepreneur individuel" or the initials "EI". This mention must appear on all documents (quotes, invoices, purchase orders, advertising) and on the bank account dedicated to the activity.

Omitting these mentions exposes the entrepreneur to a fine for fourth-class petty offences, according to the French administration. However, a sole trader or micro-entrepreneur may use a trade name or a shop sign, declared in the RNE. A trade name never exempts the entrepreneur from displaying their name and the "EI" mention. Readers still weighing the two regimes can refer to our analysis on choosing between a sole proprietorship and a company.

Changing a company's name requires a collective decision by the shareholders, adopted at an extraordinary general meeting (AGE) or as provided by the articles, followed by an amendment of the article of the articles of association that sets the name. Majority rules vary with the legal form (SARL, SAS, SA) and the articles.

1. Check the availability of the new name, with the same searches as at incorporation.
2. Convene the shareholders, adopt the decision and sign the minutes.
3. Update the articles (company name clause, header, date of amendment).
4. Publish a legal notice stating the old and new names, within one month of the decision.
5. Declare the change on the business formalities one-stop shop, within one month of the decision.

The cost includes the regulated registry (greffe) fees and the legal notice. The legal notice for a change of company name is subject to a flat fee set each year by ministerial order, according to Service Public Entreprendre (amount to be checked on the day of publication). The procedure is close to that of a change of corporate purpose, often handled at the same meeting.

Changing a trade name or shop sign is lighter: no AGE and no legal notice when the articles do not mention them, but an amended declaration in the RNE is still required.

In practice#

In practice, a name change costs more in operations than in formalities: invoices and quotes, website, domain, legal notices on the site, bank accounts, ongoing contracts, e-invoicing platforms. We recommend drawing up this list before the meeting and setting a single switchover date.

The risks in a name dispute fall into three categories: trademark infringement, unfair competition and free-riding. Each rests on a different legal basis.

• Infringement (contrefaçon): infringement is an attack on a registered trademark, by reproducing or imitating the sign for identical or similar goods or services; it falls under the French Intellectual Property Code.
• Unfair competition (concurrence déloyale): unfair competition sanctions wrongful conduct creating a likelihood of confusion with a competitor, for example using a similar trade name or shop sign; it rests on civil liability under article 1240 of the French Civil Code.
• Free-riding (parasitisme): free-riding means following in a business's wake to benefit from its reputation or investment, without necessarily competing with it; it also falls under civil liability.

The French Intellectual Property Code (article L711-3) provides that a trademark may not infringe prior rights, in particular a company name, or a trade name, shop sign or domain name whose scope is not merely local, where there is a likelihood of confusion in the public mind. Priority is proven by dates: registration, first invoices, filing.

For a .fr domain name registered in bad faith, the INPI notes that Afnic offers the SYRELI procedure, fully online, which can obtain the deletion or transfer of the disputed domain within two months of the request.

Points to watch#

• A registered company name is not a trademark filing.
• A trade name not declared in the RNE is still protected by use, but its date of first use will be harder to prove.
• A reserved domain name confers no trademark right, and vice versa.
• A trademark filed in the director's own name, rather than the company's, does not belong to the company.

• Name searched in the Data INPI business (RNE) and trademark databases, with variants
• Search for unregistered commercial use (directories, search engine)
• Relevant domain names reserved in the name of the future company or the founder, with a planned transfer
• Decision taken on trademark filing and classes
• Trade name and shop sign declared on the one-stop shop at registration
• Mandatory mentions included in quote and invoice templates
• For a sole trader: surname, first name and "EI" mention on all documents

• The company name identifies the company; it is mandatory and protected throughout France, for the activities carried on, from registration in the RNE.
• The trade name and shop sign are protected by their first public use, only within the customer area or around the establishment.
• Only a trademark filed with the INPI (190 euros online for one class, 40 euros per additional class in 2026) gives an exclusive nationwide right over goods and services.
• Availability is checked on Data INPI, the Annuaire des entreprises and domain name registries, before finalising the articles.
• Changing the company name requires a collective decision, a legal notice and a declaration on the one-stop shop within one month.