Q. What does Dynamo charge to find us a name?
Pricing depends on the number of name options you wish presented per round. Please contact us to discuss your preferences. We will presume that you don't wish the availability of the intuitive dot-com to weigh on your name options. It is important to specify at the outset whether you only intend to consider names for which the intuitive dot-com is obtainable. This affects the final pool of options, as available dictionary and common expression names can be very difficult to locate in the dot-com. Coined new terms can be more expensive to market, but a silver lining is that they offer trademark advantages.

Q. What are the risks of choosing my own name?
A. US Trademark law prohibits the operation of two entities in the same geographical region and same field of trade when the names are so similar that there is a risk of consumer confusion. Thus, those of the 6.5 billion people on earth who trade in English have been shuffling our small alphabet for generations, with mounting irritation. Some appealing names are in use by many thousands of entities in the US alone. Naming is daunting, but it is still too early in the game to resort to drastic measures such as 'Accenture.' Consider farming your pain out to us, or to your advertising firm, which can communicate naming goals to Dynamo. Many US branding companies already use our research services. Have a look at the Dynamo Naming Worksheet to start thinking about the factors which will be relevant to your new name and its trademark and branding viability.

Q. What trademark screening does Dynamo perform?
A. Dynamo conducts limited preliminary, US-based mark screening unless you state that you need other countries screened. Trademark screening improves the odds that the names we offer for your consideration will be available for your use as trademarks. One doesn't want to pay for legal research into a laundry list of names. However, to prevent conflicts of interest, you and the legal counsel you select assume full responsibility for final trademark and corporate-name clearance and registration. Unless you have your own counsel, we recommend specialists such as The American Trademark Company or Thomson and Thomson. They are competitively priced. We do not charge anything on top of their fees for outsourcing your search.

Q. I will be selling worldwide. What if the name has an offensive meaning in another language?
A. On request, Dynamo can provide or outsource linguistic screening for unsuitable meanings in the languages you require. Common requests are for clearance in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Mandarin, Hindi, Russian and Arabic.

Q. I have my new name picked, so I want to start protecting mark rights and getting free press immediately. What can Dynamo do for me?
A. If you've got a web location ready, we can set up a splash page displaying your new Dynamo brand, with a .gif logo, multiple live emails, and the company info you'd like posted. We can usually set this up the same day you request it. Please consider this a short-term solution to help preserve your rights early and offer a contact data resource for interested parties. This is very useful if you find an opportunity for free press on short notice, before you've had time for designers to construct a full site.

Q. Can Dynamo help me safely obtain or safely relinquish a domain name or trademark rights?
A. Trademark rights and a web address are fundamental to your new name. Dynamo offers contract, escrow, and technical support services on request, available to both buyers and sellers of a domain name or trademark rights. Ignoring a small company's common law mark rights, rather than acquiring them, can lead to an infringement suit affecting decades of revenue and requiring a complete rebranding. For domain names, acquisitions require: 1) an initial written agreement that one intends to build a new, legitimate mark and compete in good faith (For instance, as to the domain 24Hour.com, Gold's Gym Inc. would not be eligible to buy it because Gold's Gym is a same-trade competitor of 24 Hour Fitness.), and 2) parties must use Dynamo's Transfer Agreement. The Agreement authorizes revocation of sale and reclamation of domain name if buyers misrepresent eligibility. This offers protection in the event of sale to: a malicious ex-employee, a hacker who presents a security risk, or an infringing competitor of a party using a similar mark. It further prevents the prohibited sale of a domain to a trademark holder. Such sales may not be prohibited where the domain is generic or was registered before the interested mark holder began use of the textstring as a mark in commerce, but each case must be individually researched.

Q. I want to use your service, but I need absolute privacy.
A. All information submitted to Dynamo is kept in strict confidence. Non-disclosure agreements are available if you are concerned about data you will be discussing with us, including your business model, launch date, partners, etc. Your email and contact data will not be sold or used for any purpose other than communicating with you concerning a name project you've initiated, without exception.

Get started! Email or phone Dynamo to discuss naming your new venture...