Company name?

Hello, if i want upload my game on play store i need a company name. My question is do i have to register the name somewhere or start a company and can i just made up my name? And what if someone has same name as me ? Sorry for these questions but this is my first time i uploading my game on play store so you can give me some tips :slight_smile: Thanks

Google Play/Developer Name

On Google Play there’s no check that your “developer name” (as I believe the field is called) is a registered legal entity. It is common practice to register a limited company in this scenario, but it’s perfectly legal to operate as a sole trader trading under a trading name. AFAIAA the only directive Google provide on this topic is the following:

“We don’t allow apps with misleading,
irrelevant, excessive, or
inappropriate metadata, including but
not limited to the app’s description,
developer name, title, icon,
screenshots, and promotional images.
We also don’t allow user testimonials
in the app’s description.”
[https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy-print]

Limited Company

Note that there are advantages to operating as a limited liability company: primarily the fact that your new legal entity has “limited liability”; by default, you as a shareholder you can only be found liable for the amount invested in the company. It can also be a more efficient way of handling tax depending on your situation. Note however that managing a company’s accounts is a small additional workload.

If you do decide to set up a company, speaking form experience in the UK it takes a few minutes (it’s web-based) and costs £12 (~15$ ATOW). NB. Do be wary of “company formation agents” that will perform this simple service for you, at a greatly increased cost.

Account Name

One additional note regarding the name, on some other platforms (Steam Direct for instance), as part of their KYC (Know Your Client/Customer) policies, your destination bank account’s name must match the name under which you are trading. This doesn’t mean you need a registered company, just the account. You can walk into a bank and open a business account in a given name without the need for a company.

https://partner.steamgames.com/steamdirect

Name Conflicts

Regarding naming conflicts: this is a bit of a minefield. If someone has the same name as you, it’s up to you to prove that you got there first. With regards to “due diligence” in finding out if a name already exists, you can google for your perspective name, check out company registers, look for a registered .com. Whilst you can’t be a 100% that a name is not in use in some guise, you can at least perform some rudimentary research in order to avoid future conflict with another party, and also protect yourself if any legal action were to be brought against you. There are lawyers that will perform this service for you.

https://www.rocketlawyer.co.uk/article/how-to-choose-a-name-for-your-business.rl

Disclaimer

Note that my answer doesn’t constitute legal advice. If in doubt, consult a company formation lawyer.

for the playstore account u dont need to have a registered company or anything like that.but to get ur account registered as a google developer account u will need to pay 25$ upfront.