(a) That's right. The person who registers a company must give it a name that sufficiently distinguishes it from other companies. One option is to use the Australian Company Number as the company name. Otherwise, any name can be chosen that is not the same as another company's name, or that is already a registered business name. A company name cannot be offensive, nor may it suggest a non-existent connection with a person or government institution.

As mentioned above, proprietary companies must include the abbreviation 'Pty' in their name. Companies with limited liability must include the abbreviation 'Ltd'. No liability companies must include the abbreviation 'NL'.

If Edward and Ronnie create a proprietary company with limited liability it could, for example, be called 'ERP Pty Ltd' or 'ER Plumbing Pty Ltd'.

Like any natural person, a company is entitled to trade under its own name. However, it is also allowed to register and trade under a different business name. For example, a company called ERP Pty Ltd could trade under the registered business name 'Quicksilver Plumbers'.