Wisconsin Statutes Corporations (Ch. 180 to 188) § 180.1506. Corporate name of foreign corporation

(1) If the corporate name of a foreign corporation is not available under sub. (2), the foreign corporation, to obtain or maintain a certificate of authority to transact business in this state, may use a fictitious name to transact business in this state if it delivers to the department for filing a copy of the resolution of its board of directors, certified by any of its officers, adopting the fictitious name.

(3) A foreign corporation may apply to the department for authorization to use in this state a name that is not distinguishable upon the records of the department from one or more of the names described in sub. (2). The department shall authorize use of the name applied for if any of the following occurs:

(3m) In determining whether a name is the same as or not distinguishable on the records of the department from the name of another person, words, phrases, or abbreviations indicating a type of entity, such as “corporation,” “Corp.,” “incorporated,” “Inc.,” “service corporation,” “SC,” “Limited,” “Ltd.,” “limited partnership,” “LP,” “limited liability partnership,” “LLP,” “limited liability limited partnership,” “LLLP,” “registered limited liability limited partnership,” “RLLLP,” “limited liability company,” “LLC,” “cooperative association,” or “cooperative,” or a variation of these abbreviations that differs only with respect to capitalization of letters or punctuation, may not be taken into account.

(4) A foreign corporation may use in this state the name, including the fictitious name, that is used in this state by a domestic corporation or another foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state, or by a limited liability company, nonprofit or nonstock corporation, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, foreign limited liability partnership, general cooperative association, or limited cooperative association, if the foreign corporation proposing to use the name has done any of the following:

(5) If a foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state changes its corporate name to one that does not satisfy sub. (2), it may not transact business in this state under the changed name until it adopts a name satisfying sub. (2) and obtains an amended certificate of authority under s. 180.1504.