Arkansas recently passed legislation (Senate Bill 205) that, among other things, changes the rules for name availability in the state. The bill is effective in April of 2023.
The new standard for name availability for entities in the state is whether the name is distinguishable from other entity names (not whether the name is confusingly similar). A corporate name that is different from the name of another entity is distinguishable unless the only difference is one or more of the following:
- A suffix
- A definite or indefinite article
- The word “and” and the symbol “&”
- The singular, plural, or possessive form of a word
- A punctuation mark or a symbol
You can find more information, including the text of the bill, on the Arkansas State Legislature website at Bill Information – Arkansas State Legislature.