What are Some Other Name Restrictions?

Beyond the basic requirements of having a distinctive and descriptive element, there are additional restrictions on corporate names in Alberta:

The name cannot be identical to any currently registered federal or Alberta corporations, active extra-provincially registered corporations, or names that have been proposed but not yet registered.
The name cannot be similar to currently registered Alberta, federal, or extra-provincially registered corporations unless the existing corporation consents. Names are considered similar when the only difference is a year, legal element, abbreviation, homonym, article, or produces no phonetic difference.
The name must not be too general, only describe the type of business, or primarily be a geographic or personal name (unless it has acquired distinctive meaning).
The name must not include personal names without appropriate consent.
Only English language characters, Arabic numerals, or permitted special characters are allowed.
The name must not consist of only punctuation marks or special characters.
The name must not contain a year in parenthesis unless it’s a successor corporation.
The name must not be obscene.
The name must not appear to be a numbered name.
The name must not include “chamber of commerce” or “board of trade.”
The name must not suggest government patronage without written consent.
The name must not suggest university, college, or professional association sponsorship without consent.
The name must not imply the corporation is a bank, insurance company, trust company, or other financial institution without government consent.