Q: Can I use 'Bea Honeywell' as a stage name when there's a company called 'Honeywell'?
A:
A trademark provides protection for a name, logo, slogan, etc., as it is used in conjunction with the sale of particular products and/or services. It is quite possible to have multiple trademarks that are the same or similar coexisting in the market, as long as there is no reasonable likelihood of confusion between the two uses. One could argue that Honeywell's products are not likely to be confused with burlesque performances, so that a customer or potential customer is confused as to the source. This would be particularly true if your actual last name was Honeywell, as it is difficult to argue that a person should be precluded from using their own name, but I gather that this would be a made up name for performances.
Of course, it would be important that you not claim or suggest any relationship or sponsorship of your performances by Honeywell. Also, just because someone might not have a strong case doesn't mean they might not threaten to take action just because they don't like what you are doing with the name.
Finally, your last sentence almost seems to suggest that there is somebody else using that stage name, which would open up a completely different set of issues.
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