company no. vs www.site

[soeypixels]

Hey all!

Just to ask if i already registered
"ABC photography" company name with ACRA but another site gona be "YYY" which is doing another genre of photography
while ABC already have it owns site

1) do i need to registered YYY as company?

2) can i do under YYY site and bill under ABC?
if yes does it matter when it comes to accoutning ?

3) wat if someone register YYY company
does it mean YYY site have to go??

tks

 

[catchlights]

Personally I don't see the need to register another company if both is offering photography services, but it is better to check out with ACRA, as you want to find out more on accounting issue.

AFAIK, domain name ended with SG extension need to have registered company in Singapore, other than that, register a domain name has noting to do with a registered company name, as long the domain name is still available, anyone can register for that.
but it is better to use a more catchy domain name to help your customers able to find you online.
for an example, if you have a site name happy-photography.com, to offer children birthday party photography, wouldn't bdaypartyfoto.com a better name to use? you will save a lot of money and efforts in SEO and advertising too.

 

[kandinsky]

Hey all!

Just to ask if i already registered
"ABC photography" company name with ACRA but another site gona be "YYY" which is doing another genre of photography
while ABC already have it owns site

1) do i need to registered YYY as company?

2) can i do under YYY site and bill under ABC?
if yes does it matter when it comes to accoutning ?

3) wat if someone register YYY company
does it mean YYY site have to go??

tks

My guess:

1&2) I think if you make it clear that YYY site is run by ABC P/L, and all your business communications indicate that the client is dealing with ABC P/L, then YYY site can be considered just one of your marketing avenues/concepts. So then your accounting would reflect all dealings with ABC P/L, so don't think there's an issue in the big picture, but you probably need to consult an accountant on best practices on how to actually execute this properly. It's a different thing if you intend to operate your business as "YYY" with no mention of ABC P/L. This is my best layman's guess. :think:

Best to clarify with ACRA.

3) I think it does leave someone open to register YYY and might lead to potential issues down the road. Although I think if you made legitimate use of the domain name and did not register it in bad faith, it sounds like you should be able to successfully defend against any claims by any new owners of YYY P/L. E.g., They can't compel you (or your domain registrar) to cancel your domain name or even transfer it on the grounds that they are the ones with the legally recognized business name and you are a cybersquatter... Again, my best layman's guess.

See: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/udrp/analysis.html

Btw, there are ongoing changes to the relevant legislation to make it a requirement to register each name separately if one intends to do business under multiple business names. The bill was passed in Oct 2014, but don't think it is in force yet.

See:

https://www.acra.gov.sg/uploadedFil...'s Response to feedback on BNR Bill_final.pdf

See:

http://www.parliament.gov.sg/sites/default/files/Business Names Registration Bill 26-2014.pdf

 

[Agetan]

I am sure you can find out the legal requirement based on the above replies...

I would basically register both companies and treat it as separate entity for future growth. Also make sure the trademark is applied to both mark so you are better protected if someone used your company name accidentally. That way, it is easier to manage when things happen.

Talk to your accountants to see if there is any tax benefit of doing 2 companies.

I run 2 photography brand and both are register separately and trademark also applied. So it is clear cut and less ambiguity. It is probably ok when the business is small but once the growth is there, it is much more hassle to separate it later on.

Regards,

Hart

 

[JasonB]

Hey all!

Just to ask if i already registered
"ABC photography" company name with ACRA but another site gona be "YYY" which is doing another genre of photography
while ABC already have it owns site

1) do i need to registered YYY as company?

2) can i do under YYY site and bill under ABC?
if yes does it matter when it comes to accoutning ?

3) wat if someone register YYY company
does it mean YYY site have to go??

tks

1) No need.

2) Yes, just state somewhere that YYY is a subsidary or brand name under ABC company in your invoice.

3) No need. Now's the chance to sell them the YYY site and make some money.

 

[soeypixels]

tks for all the replies!
prob take some time to read the rest of the links