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Vermont Statutes Title 11 Sec. 4-01

Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 11 Sec. 4-01

  • articles: include amended and restated articles of incorporation and articles of merger. See
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Corporation: means public benefit and mutual benefit corporation. See
  • Domestic: when applied to a corporation, company, association, or copartnership shall mean organized under the laws of this State; "foreign" when so applied, shall mean organized under the laws of another state, government, or country. See
  • Entity: includes corporation and foreign corporation; business corporation and foreign business corporation; profit and nonprofit unincorporated association; business trust, estate, partnership, trust, and two or more persons having a joint or common economic interest; and state, United States; and foreign government. See
  • Foreign corporation: means a corporation organized under a law other than the law of this State which would be a nonprofit corporation if formed under the laws of this State. See
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Secretary: means the corporate officer to whom the board of directors has delegated responsibility under subsection 8. See
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See

§ 4.01. Corporate name

(a) A corporate name:

(1) shall contain the word “corporation,” “incorporated,” “company,” or “limited,” or the abbreviation “corp.,” “inc.,” “co.,” or “ltd.,” or words or abbreviations of like import in another language;

(2) may not contain language stating or implying that the corporation is organized for a purpose other than that permitted by section 3.01 of this title and its articles of incorporation;

(3) shall not have the word “cooperative” or any abbreviation thereof as part of its name; and

(4) shall not include any word not otherwise authorized by law.

(b) Except as authorized by subsections (c) and (d) of this section, a corporate name shall be distinguishable in the records of the Secretary of State from any name granted, registered, or reserved under this chapter, or the name of any other entity, whether domestic or foreign, that is reserved, registered, or granted by or with the Secretary of State.

(c) A corporation may apply to the Secretary of State for authorization to use a name that is not distinguishable in the records from one or more of the names described in subsection (b) of this section. The Secretary of State shall authorize use of the name applied for if:

(1) the other corporation or business consents to the use in writing and submits an undertaking in form satisfactory to the Secretary of State to change its name to a name that is distinguishable in the records from the name of the applying corporation; or

(2) the applicant delivers to the Secretary of State a certified copy of the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction establishing the applicant’s right to use the name applied for in this State.

(d) A corporation may use the name, including the fictitious name, of another domestic or foreign corporation that is used in this State if the other corporation is incorporated or authorized to transact business in this State and the proposed user corporation:

(1) has merged with the other corporation;

(2) has been formed by reorganization of the other corporation; or

(3) has acquired all or substantially all of the assets, including the corporate name, of the other corporation. (Added 1995, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1997; amended 2015, No. 17, § 11.)

Vermont Statutes Title 11 Sec. 4-01

Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 11 Sec. 4-01

  • Articles of incorporation: include amended and restated articles of incorporation, articles of merger, and special charters. See
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Domestic: when applied to a corporation, company, association, or copartnership shall mean organized under the laws of this State; "foreign" when so applied, shall mean organized under the laws of another state, government, or country. See
  • Entity: includes corporation and foreign corporation; not-for-profit corporation; profit and not-for-profit unincorporated association; business trust, estate, partnership, trust, and two or more persons having a joint or common economic interest; and state, United States, and foreign government. See
  • Foreign corporation: means a corporation for profit incorporated under a law other than the law of this State. See
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Secretary: means the corporate officer to whom the board of directors has delegated responsibility under subsection 8. See
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See

§ 4.01. Corporate head

(a) A corporate name:

(1) shall contain the word “corporation,” “incorporated,” “company,” or “limited,” or the abbreviation “corp.,” “inc.,” “co.,” or “ltd.,” or words or abbreviations of like import in another language;

(2) may not contain language stating or implying that the corporation is organized for a purpose other than that permitted by section 3.01 of this title and its articles of incorporation;

(3) shall not have the word “cooperative” or any abbreviation thereof as part of its name unless the corporation is a worker cooperative corporation organized under 11 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 8 or the articles of incorporation contain all of the provisions required of a corporation organized as a cooperative association; and

(4) shall not include any word not otherwise authorized by law.

(b) Except as authorized by subsections (c) and (d) of this section, a corporate name shall be distinguishable in the records of the Secretary of State from any name granted, registered, or reserved under this chapter, or the name of any other entity, whether domestic or foreign, that is reserved, registered, or granted by or with the Secretary of State.

(c) A corporation may apply to the Secretary of State for authorization to use a name that is not distinguishable in the records from one or more of the names described in subsection (b) of this section. The Secretary of State shall authorize use of the name applied for if:

(1) the other corporation or business consents to the use in writing and submits an undertaking in form satisfactory to the Secretary of State to change its name to a name that is distinguishable in the records from the name of the applying corporation; or

(2) the applicant delivers to the Secretary of State a certified copy of the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction establishing the applicant’s right to use the name applied for in this State.

(d) A corporation may use the name, including the fictitious name, of another domestic or foreign corporation that is used in this State if the other corporation is incorporated or authorized to transact business in this State and the proposed user corporation:

(1) has merged with the other corporation;

(2) has been formed by reorganization of the other corporation; or

(3) has acquired all or substantially all of the assets, including the corporate name, of the other corporation. (Added 1993, No. 85, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1994; amended 1995, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § 1a, eff. Jan. 1, 1997; 2015, No. 17, § 8.)