（Source: China Economic Net 2026-01-22）
Interpretation of "Guidelines for Enterprise Name Declaration (2025 Edition)"
Kong Xiangwen, researcher at the National Institute for Opening up and Associate Professor at the w88 casino of Law, w88 casino
The enterprise name is the most prominent identifier of the business entity and an important carrier of corporate culture and goodwill. Its registration management order is directly related to the market competition order and the business environment. The enterprise name registration management system rules are an important basic system for building a unified national market. The "Enterprise Name Registration Management Regulations" revised in 2020 and the "Enterprise Name Registration Management Regulations Implementation Measures" adopted in 2023 established an independent declaration system for enterprise names. Within the framework of the above regulations, the State Administration for Market Regulation has formulated the "Guidelines for Enterprise Name Declaration (2025 Edition)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"). The "Guidelines" are oriented to solve the difficult and confusing problems of business entities and focus on optimizing government services. They provide clear and clear operational specifications for the entire process of enterprise name declaration. They are of great significance for consolidating the results of the reform of enterprise name registration management and facilitating the majority of business entities to start businesses.
1. Clarify the application process and optimize the level of government services
Declaration of company name is the first step in market access, and its convenience directly affects the efficiency of business start-up. In the early stages of the implementation of the independent declaration system, some companies often did not know how to apply because they were not familiar with the rules and procedures. In response to the above issues, the "Guidelines" provide a detailed explanation of the declaration process and requirements, allowing enterprises to complete the declaration "according to the diagram". In the declaration preparation stage, it is clear that enterprises need to query the name database in advance to understand the prohibition and restriction rules; in terms of declaration channels, it is clear that declarations can be made through the online enterprise name declaration system and offline enterprise registration authority service windows; in terms of name retention rules, it is clarified that the general retention period is 2 months, and the retention period in special circumstances involving pre-approval is 1 year; in terms of the processing of declaration results, the service nature of the declaration system and the review requirements of the registration authority are clarified. These rules enhance the certainty and transparency of administrative procedures, effectively resolve enterprise confusion, and not only improve the enterprise service experience, but also enhance the modernization and refinement of government services.
2. Refining the composition rules and unifying the requirements for name elements
Since the establishment of the independent enterprise name declaration system, the pre-examination of enterprise names has been transformed into in-process and post-event supervision. Although the competent authorities no longer assume the responsibility for pre-approval, they still need to implement supervision in accordance with legal requirements, and companies still need to standardize the choice of names. The "Guidelines" provide detailed explanations on the four major elements that constitute an enterprise name, namely administrative division name, w88 name, industry or business characteristics, organizational form and their order, and provide specific guidance through examples and other means; it also provides special provisions on the composition rules of branch names, enterprise group names, and foreign-invested enterprise names, covering the name declaration needs of various business entities. Previously, although the independent declaration system for enterprise names has been fully implemented, there are certain differences in implementation standards across regions. In some areas, the rules are vague and the standards are inconsistent, which has brought inconvenience to enterprises operating across regions. By clarifying rules, the "Guidelines" eliminate inter-regional institutional barriers, create good conditions for reducing institutional transaction costs for enterprises operating across regions, promote the free flow of factors, and are conducive to promoting the unification of the basic institutional rules of the national unified market.
3. Clear comparison standards to prevent the risk of malicious confusion
Identical and similar comparison of font sizes is the focus of enterprise name declaration and the key to maintaining the order of enterprise name registration. In recent years, as the number of business entities continues to grow, malicious confusing behaviors such as "famous brands", "hot spots" and "free riding" have occurred from time to time. Defining comparison standards will help fundamentally prevent behaviors that disrupt market order and damage the legitimate rights and interests of well-known companies and consumers. It will also help encourage the originality of companies and better release the value of corporate name resources. The "Guidelines" refine the provisions of the higher-level law and clarify that in the same enterprise registration authority, an enterprise's w88 name shall not be the same as the name and w88 name of an enterprise in the same industry or that does not use industry descriptions under certain circumstances. It also provides a specific explanation on how to determine "the same enterprise registration authority" and "the same industry or does not use industry descriptions", and lists the specific circumstances in which the w88 names are the same. At the same time, the "Guidelines" introduce in detail the comparison rules for similar names, enumerate various situations such as containing font sizes, having the same pronunciation, and similar fonts, and provide risk warnings for reporting companies.
For such difficult and complex issues, the "Guidelines" not only simply list the rules, but also transform complex legal rules into easy-to-understand and easy-to-use operation guides by enumerating typical examples, helping reporting enterprises to better understand the spirit of laws, regulations and policies in specific scenarios, fully embodying the stance of "convenience and benefiting the people" and the work direction of building a service-oriented government that satisfies the people.
4. Strengthen risk warnings and guide enterprises to comply with laws and regulations
After the establishment of the independent enterprise name declaration system, enterprises enjoy more full autonomy in the choice of names and sizes, but at the same time, it is also more necessary to establish the awareness of choosing names in compliance with laws and regulations, and to unify rights and obligations. Although the competent authorities no longer assume the function of ex-ante review and approval, they still need to provide clearer rules and more adequate guidance to reduce the burden of supervision during and after the event. The "Guidelines" specially set up a key point reminder section, covering key contents such as prohibitive requirements for company names, limitations of system prompts, protection of prior legal rights, and standardized use of language and characters. It also clarifies the company's information disclosure obligations, name change obligations, compliance use obligations, and relief channels when it believes that rights have been infringed, and fully reminds the reporting company of "what to do" and "what not to do." The "Guidelines" clearly emphasize that enterprises should be responsible for the legality of the declared name, and remind the applicant of various factors that need to be considered when declaring a name, as well as the risks and responsibilities that related actions may face. This reflects the competent authority's active stance of fully respecting the right of enterprises to make independent choices, while also creating conditions and providing guidance for enterprises to operate with integrity and comply with regulations.
5. Refining best practices and deepening the construction of a unified national market
The "Guidelines" are essentially a refinement and summary of practical experience in enterprise name registration. It clears up the pain points and blockages in enterprise name declaration by unifying rules, standardizing processes, and clarifying standards. As a general guide, although the "Guidelines" are not directly binding or mandatory, they are conducive to strengthening the awareness and understanding of issues related to corporate name registration, promoting the formation of a more unified standard for name registration authorities, and giving reporting companies more stable expectations. For enterprises, they should carefully study and master the various contents of the "Guidelines", declare and use names in compliance with laws and regulations, and consciously maintain market order; for market supervision departments, they should strengthen the publicity, interpretation and business training of the "Guidelines" to ensure that the "Guidelines" are effective. With the in-depth implementation of the "Guidelines", enterprise name registration management will be more standardized, convenient and efficient. In the future, the "Guidelines" can also be continuously adjusted and optimized on the basis of practical experience to continuously adapt to the new needs of market development and provide more powerful support for the construction of a unified national market.
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