NUANS™
Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search is a large sophisticated database maintained by Industry Canada and is used to compare a proposed business or Trademark name with a database of over 8 million records of existing and proposed corporate names, business names and Trademarks.
Nuans™ is a registered trademark of the government of Canada and the software and data are the property of Industry Canada
Search Type
A Preliminary Name search is a search of up to 3 name variations maximum to determine if there are any potential conflicts of the proposed name with existing Corporations, Business Names or Trademarks. A Nuans™ Report (name reservation) is not included. This search is for research purposes only to avoid the costs of ordering a report on a name that cannot be used.
Price: $15 plus HST
Processing Time: 1 – 2 hours
A NUANS™ reservation report will reserve a proposed name in the province/jurisdiction specified for 90 calendar days. The preliminary search is included to check for potential conflicts prior to reserving the name. You can include a maximum of 3 names for the preliminary name check. 1 NUANS report is provided.
Price: $45 plus HST
Processing Time: 1 – 3 hours
A Federal NUANS™ report will reserve a proposed name to be used for a Canada Corporation (Federal) for 90 calendar days. The preliminary search is included to check for potential conflicts prior to reserving the name. You can include a maximum of 3 names for the preliminary name check. 1 NUANS report is provided.
Important: Names to be used for a Federal Corporation must be pre-approved by Corporations Canada, regardless of the results on the Nuans™ report.
Price: $45 plus HST
Processing Time: 1 – 3 hours
The NUANS™ reservation report and the Corporate Name information responses are submitted to Corporations Canada for review to be sure it complies with the regulations and that there are no conflicts with existing names.
*Valid from 90 days from date of Nuans™ report, not the date of pre-approval.
Price: $30 plus HST
Processing Time: 24 to 48 hours
What is a Nuans™ Name Reservation Report?
The Nuans™ Reservation Report consists of a 7 page PDF document. The Jurisdiction and a 9-digit reservation number will be located on the top left directly under the proposed name. The reservation number along with the name and date of the report are required to complete an incorporation either electronically or manually by paper filing. The first row of the report will show the proposed name, Province, Reservation number and the date of the report. The first 3 pages will contain the most similar existing Corporation and Business Names and the following 2 pages will contain similar Trademarks and the last page contains the Terms and Conditions. Nuans™ reports are valid for 90 calendar days from the date of order.
When is a Nuans™ report is required?
New Ontario Incorporation
New Federal Incorporation
Change of corporate name (filing Article of Amendment)
Amalgamation with one or more corporation(s) under a new name
Extra-Provincial License Application by a foreign corporation
Article of Continuance
What is a Preliminary Name search?
A Preliminary name search is the process of searching the database to see whether there are existing exact, or similar names that may conflict with the proposed name. It is included with each Nuans™ Report order and includes a search of the proposed name and 2 additional variations or alternative names. It can also be ordered independently for research or inquiry purposes. We allow 2 additional variations or alternative names in the event that there is a conflict is found with the initial proposed name. The process helps avoid paying for a Nuans™ report that cannot be used due to conflicting identical or similar names or Trademarks. Our Preliminary search report will display the search results from the database and comments will help identify any potential issues or conflicts found with the name. A Preliminary Name search is strongly recommended prior to ordering the final Nuans™ report.
Our preliminary search process includes breaking down the name by keyword, spelling and phonetics, searching each component individually, to ensure all potentially similar names are found. This ‘fuzzy logic’ search saves you time and money by thoroughly searching for similar names the first time, avoiding costly multiple searches.
The Elements of a Corporate Name
A corporate name should consist of 3 elements: a Distinctive element, a Descriptive element and a Legal element.
The distinctive element is the most important and can be a dictionary word or a made-up word in order to create a unique name and distinguish it from others. Unusual names containing made-up words tend to be very distinctive because they are unique.
The descriptive element is a word or words that describe the type or nature of the business.
The legal element is mandatory and identifies the name as a corporation. Legal elements include: Limited, Ltd., Corporation, Corp., Incorporation, Inc.
| Corporation Name | Distinctive Element | Descriptive Element | Legal Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amore Restaurant Limited | Amore | Restaurant | Limited |
| Callaway Golf Club Corporation | Callaway | Golf Clubs | Corporation |
| NetCom Computers Inc. | NetCom | Computers | Inc. |
| Smith & Johnson Consulting Ltd. | Smith & Johnson | Consulting | Ltd. |
Things to consider and what to avoid in a name:
The name should be distinctive.
The name should not cause confusion and not have a name of a known: Corporation, Trust, Association, Business Name, or Trademark
The name should not cause confusion with a governmental or institutional association.
The name must include a legal element.
The name must not include unacceptable or prohibited terms.