This document discusses corporate identifiers and why they are important. It notes that over 4 million companies in the US alone are incorporated in 50 states. Corporate identifiers like DUNS numbers and LEIs help identify the over 3 million companies. The document questions what defines a company and why their identification matters. It explains that identifiers need to be non-proprietary, reusable, transparent and useful to properly identify companies when doing business with them. Finally, the document suggests alternatives for corporate identification like Financial Stability Board global LEIs, OpenCorporates URIs, using existing identifiers intelligently, or creating a new identifier system if implemented correctly.