Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
It's a long time ago now, but I worked in the New Companies section in Companies House back in the 70s and, as I remember it, we only used to search the UK list of registered companies when looking at a new application - providing the system is still the same, and you're only talking in terms of a limited company name, then you should be alright as far as the Canadian company is concerned.
There was also a register of Business Names which I knew little about, but only three or four people worked there and it seemed a much smaller operation - I seem to remember that there was a less thorough search done with them, but Business Name status did not offer you the same rights as Limited Company status did.
Blue Matt and others are right when they say it becomes much more complicated on the Trade Marks side. I worked in the Trade Marks Registry for twenty years before accepting early retirement in 2009 and the search procedure was a lot more thorough for them than limited companies - it was part of my job to warn of potential objectors and there was a period of a couple of months I believe it was between a mark being advertised in the Trade Marks Journal and it becoming a registered mark which enabled other companies to oppose if they thought their rights were being infringed.
It doesn't sound as if you want to register your business as a trade mark, but if you did, you would probably have to anticipate a challenge from the Canadian company as you say they are the same type of business as you.