Naming Your Work or Project
Choosing a good name for the technology that a research project has developed
or for the project itself can yield many benefits. A well-chosen name
gives the technology or group a unique identity that can be registered
as a trademark if and when appropriate. Even if it is not a registered
trademark, a unique identity can be useful for marketing by distinguishing
the project or its technology. Having a good name can simplify decisions
about other identifying marks like domain
names.
Topics covered on this page include:
Coming Up with Good Names
Finding a name requires work, imagination, and good luck. Imagine that
a group has developed a method to keep food fresh for years at a time.
Descriptive or generic names receive less protection in the marketplace
and by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, thus, names such as "Food
Preserver" should be avoided. More unique names like FreshSave, Eternity,
Flavor-Lok, or Zephyr may be better candidates.
Here are some resources to help inspire project groups looking for names:
- Naming
Your Product - An outline of some considerations before choosing a product
name. It contains information on sources of inspiration for names, name selection
methods, and places to search to verify the availability of a mark
Checking Names for Availability and Appropriateness
After finding some possible names, you should check them in trademark databases
and Web search engines to see if they have already been used with a product
or in a field similar to yours. Avoid names that are similar to a competitor
organization's, product's, or names that are already famous, like Pepsi®
or Exxon®. Congress has passed laws that protect especially strong marks.
If one identifier is too similar in name to a famous trademark, the more senior
user can stop the new user, regardless of the differences between the two businesses.
You should check for names that are spelled or pronounced like yours,
as well as names that are conceptually similar. For example, if one of
your possible names was "blueberry," you should check the spelling variations
"bleuberry," "bluebarry," and "blueberries." You should also check other
berry names like "blackberry" and "strawberry" and the color "blue."
Even if a name does not appear in the search engines in connection with your
discipline or product type, there may be reasons that you should not use it.
The name may have an unintended connotation. For instance, Enron
originally was to be named Enteron, a word that means intestines.
Name options can be checked in sources such as the following:
- U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office's trademark database - Check if the name has
already been trademarked in a related field.
- Patscan
- A fee-based service from the University of British Columbia that will check
patents and trademarks for you.
- Google
- Use this general Internet search engine to see what contexts the name appears
in.
- Altavista
- Another general Internet search engine.
- Business.com
- An Internet search engine specializing in business information.
- QwestDex
- An Internet phonebook listing.
- American
Heritage Dictionary - Look up meanings of the name or of its components.
- Encyclopedia
Britannica - Look up the historical context of the name. You must be browsing
from a UW computer to access this site.
- Network
Solution's WHOIS - Check specific domain name ownership records to see
if an organization from a related field owns the name or a variation.
- Directories or publications that are prominent in your subject or discipline.
Your Digital Ventures can help you
evaluate your list of possible names.
Using Names Consistently
Organizational and product names are most effective when used consistently.
Applying a unique name in a consistent manner more strongly associates it with
your project or technology and protects the goodwill generated by the name.
This name and its reputation should be treated as an asset because it can be
valuable in its own right: consider how Coca-Cola® as a brand name is as
important as the formula for the soda. Creating guidelines
for the use of your names and other identifying marks can help you regulate
their application.
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