Effective: April 12, 2021
Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 276 - 133rd General Assembly
(A) The name of a limited liability company shall contain the words "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C.," "LLC," "limited," "ltd.," or "ltd".
(B) Except as provided in this section and in sections 1701.75, 1701.78, 1701.82, 1705.36, and 1705.37 of the Revised Code, the secretary of state shall not accept for filing in the secretary of state's office the articles of organization of a limited liability company if the company name set forth in the articles is not distinguishable on the records of the secretary of state from the name of any of the following:
(1) Any other limited liability company, whether the name is of a domestic limited liability company or of a foreign limited liability company registered as a foreign limited liability company under this chapter;
(2) Any corporation, whether the name is of a domestic corporation or of a foreign corporation holding a license as a foreign corporation under the laws of this state pursuant to Chapter 1701., 1702., or 1703. of the Revised Code;
(3) Any limited liability partnership, whether the name is of a domestic limited liability partnership or a foreign limited liability partnership registered pursuant to Chapter 1775. or 1776. of the Revised Code;
(4) Any limited partnership, whether the name is of a domestic limited partnership or a foreign limited partnership registered pursuant to Chapter 1782. of the Revised Code;
(5) Any trade name to which the exclusive right, at the time in question, is registered in the office of the secretary of state pursuant to Chapter 1329. of the Revised Code.
(C) A limited liability company may apply to the secretary of state for authorization to use a name that is not distinguishable from the names identified in division (B) of of this section if there also is filed in the office of the secretary of state, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, the consent of the other person or, in the case of a registered trade name, the person in whose name is registered the exclusive right to use the name, which consent is evidenced in a writing signed by any authorized officer or any authorized representative of the other person.
(D) If a judicial sale or other transfer by order of a tribunal involves the right to use the name of a limited liability company or of a foreign limited liability company, then division (B) of this section shall not be applicable with respect to any person that is subject to the order.
(E) Any person that wishes to reserve a name for a proposed new limited liability company, a limited liability company that intends to change its name, or an assumed name for a foreign limited liability company whose name is not available may submit to the secretary of state, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, a written application for the exclusive right to use a specified name as the name of the company. If the secretary of state finds, consistent with this section, that the specified name is available for use, the secretary of state shall file the application. From the date of the filing, the applicant has the exclusive right for one hundred eighty days to use the specified name as the name of the limited liability company, counting the date of the filing as the first of the one hundred eighty days. The right so obtained may be transferred by the applicant or other holder of the right by filing in the office of the secretary of state a written transfer, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, that states the name and address of the transferee.