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aangelica · #6 (**permalink**) 08-18-2004, 06:31 AM

That's not quite true. Here is an excerpt from the Code of Maryland:

"? 1-504. Name to be distinguishable.

An entity name must be distinguishable upon the records of the Department from:
(1) The entity name of an entity organized or authorized to transact business in the State;
(2) An entity name reserved or registered under this subtitle; and
(3) The disclosed assumed name adopted by a foreign entity authorized to transact business in this State."

"Entity" includes any legal business structure (e.g. corporation, LLC) as well as trade name filers.

It may be, in your case, that one company bears a suffix that indicates its structure such as "Coale Communications Inc.", and the other is just "Coale Communications" (if a dba name). That would make the name distinguishable.

"Coale Communications Inc." would have to transact business under its full legal name. If it drops the "Inc." without registering a trade name or DBA as "Coale Communications", it would technically be in violation.