Would like opinions on company name...HELP!

[Roze Ann]

Hey Y'all...well this site has been a huge help in the gear I chose to purchase. Now I'm working on a company name. Sent out many ideas and received many from friends, email list, etc. Here are the top 3 picks (email: ezor7@yahoo.com to let me know which you like and why):

The Media Cafe'
Fat Cat Media
Camera Ready

I will stills and video production from inception to completion (final edit) and dupes on tape and DVD. The usual corporate, commercial stuff will be 'bread and butter' but my heart is in kids, pets, families, documentaries and music videos. So I want a cool, playful name that's not too silly for 'the big guys' of corporate America. I'll post results this weekend so plleeeeeeaaseee email me sooon!

[John Locke]

Hi Roze Ann,

The first thing I recommend is to do a thorough search of company names in your area, and also check for registered trademarks of these names.

I didn't search all three, but I did search Fat Cat Media since that was the one I liked best, and I immediately found a link for www.fatcatmedia.tv.

A company name is something you're going to be stuck with for a long time, so make sure it hasn't been grabbed up by someone who has a legal claim to it.

[Keith Loh]

I would avoid anything with 'cafe' in it. Why confuse the market?

[Bob Deming]

Be careful with names.

The internet name "astroplex.com" was mine and I was about to register it and found that a jerk in Colorado Springs took it from my site and put it in his name collection.

How do I know. Well I put it on my site so a friend could look at the graphics built around it. When I found it was "taken/stolen" I looked this guys DNS up on my web site and found that he looked at my site the same day he registered the name.

The guy in Colorado does nothing but collect names and sell them.

Names are worth lots of money as you know. I sold tradesmart.com for $30K to a guy in LA. I still own tradesmart.net and .org.

I recommend that you protect your name, do what is recommended here and check the internet for the name if you desire to use it on the net.

I have been offered $5,500.00 for darkskys.com and a little more for the name videoclipboard.com.

Because of all of the above, I won't tell you what I like. But stay away from "cafe" that's old .com stuff.

[Roze Ann]

Hi Folks,
Yes I have checked with www.uspto.gov on the name and did a general web name search a few are taken but the one that is getting the most votes so far is a "parked" name. I've spoken with the registrar of that name who is considering selling it to me. Meanwhile I went ahead and registered the same name with a different ".***" at the end. I am furiously working on logos as we speak and have a few really good ones worked out for the 3 listed names. So as soon as the final decision is made I will be good to go. I plan on filing my trademark/logo at the beginning of next week. "Fat Cat Media.tv" is either just about to come up or may have over the last few days. Not concerned at all about that. Different company, different state, etc. If there is any research stuff I've left out PLEASE let me know. Thank y'all SOOOOOO MUCH!!!

[Roze Ann]

P.S. PLEASE keep sending ideas and info. I'm a total newbie on this part of it. BTW, I just called the uspto office and here's the scoop. Once you do a trademark name search and if you don't see the name then you can apply for that name/mark. BUT if someone else has applied at roughly the same time and they got their mark in even a few hours before yours they will when the tm race (that makes sense).. here's the big BUT...you do NOT get your appl. fee back. Urrgg. So you have to sit and wait for 12-13 months while the process goes through and HOPE that you got in first with your name/tm. Anyone actually done this before? What's your experience?

[Bob Deming]

I have a trademark for a logo.

It only cost me about $50 and a couple stamps.

If you have read, then you know there are different types of trademarks that cover different geographical areas.

A "state registeration" is dif than an international and cost much less, at least you can register with the state and protect yourself from others that try and register that mark in the same state.

International trademarks are very different and cost money.

A simple way to check the name marks are to do as you have and check the internet. It if isn't on the internet the chances of getting it is at least 60/40%.

Think about it.

......Okay, If you have a "logo" that consists of more t han a "name" then you submitt that in colour and black land white drawings or photos.

Now, the trademark office in DC is very cooperative if you have you ducks layed out with their bellies up.

The office does not take the first come first served method. The look at the easy ones first and work on the harder ones at the same time.

[Roze Ann]

Hey Bob thanks for saying something about the state level office of TM. YES much more affordable. Luckily in this state you cannot register a TM until you have used it. And I have not even seen the name we plan to use around here much less an actual trademark. Whew ! I may actually be able to afford a real TM after all. Yeppie! I owe ya :-)

[Frank Granovski]

Calico Media?
Calico Cat Media?
Purr-fect Media?
Feline Media?
Cat Den Media?
Meow Media?
Cat's Corner Productions
Cat's Corner Media
DV & Media?
ProMedia Solutions?
DeskPro Media?
Vision1 Video
9Lives Media
Final Cut Media
DV Info Media? :)

[Roze Ann]

Hey Frank thanks for all the cool suggestions! I've posted a logo idea at:
http://www.pyehouse.com/fcm/ (couldn't find the copyright symbol key so spelled it out...lol)
Please (anyone) view and let me know what ya think: ezor7@yahoo.com THANKS AGAIN ...y'all are "the bomb" :-)

[Joseph George]

The name must be easy to remember; the two words should, if possible, sound similar and the whole name should be as short as possible (Ford, Shell, Sony), etc. Suggestions:

Media2000.com
Media21.com
TopMedia.com
MediaUSA.com
IdeaMedia.com
MediaAmerica.con
SuperMedia.com
ArtMedia.com
HDmedia.com
Studio2000.com
3DMedia.com
PerfectMedia.com
MagicMedia.com
DreamMedia.com

Register it at godaddy.com -- $9/year. If you want to save $, just register the .com version.

[Frank Granovski]

"May 2003 copyright"

Should be:

Copyright, May, 2003, your name or company name.

You may use the symbol or the word, copyright, or both. At least that's how I learned it in journalism.


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In German, all nouns are capitalized!

[Garret Ambrosio]

If you file a fictious name statement with your city and post the fictious business name in the paper, technically this is a trademark, (tm), albeit it is not a registered trademark which will carry more rights with it, but your trademark will be proctected without registration, consult with a patent attorney to see what you will need to do. But many businesses do not register their trademarks but has the right to sue if someone was to violate or copy their trademark.

[John Locke]

Nice design, Roze Ann. Simple, clear, and stylish.

In your HTML code, just put the following

& c o p y ;

(but be sure to delete the spaces between the letters...I had to do that so it wouldn't become a copyright symbol in this example) and it will appear as

©

[Nigel Moore]

I like your logo Roze Anne, but wouldn't it look more stylish if the line art was the same colour as the page text, and the background was black (or transparent if made as a GIF)?

Since it's simple line art, saving as a GIF would also allow you to drop the file size. 48k for a line-art logo is a bit steep, especially if any of your prospective customers are on dial-up.