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DBA, LLC or both for artists using their own name ?

Asked by: Deborah Magone  — 17 April, 2012

Hi Monique,
Thank you for your explanation regarding a DBA vs an LLC.
My circumstance has a slight variation and I’m wondering what you would advise.
I’m an artist using part of my own name Deborah Magone. My legal name is Deborah Magone-Fragale. Would Deborah Magone be considered a ficticious name?
Would you recommend as an artist not to use my own name as an LLC or DBA for possible legal repercussions i.e. personal law suits?
What do other artists do when creating their own line of merchandise ?
Thank You,
:Deborah

Answered by: admin  — 17 April, 2012

Deborah,

Frankly, I am not sure you even need to register a DBA for your name, however you might as well do that, just in case. If you are concerned about your company being sued for whatever reason you should consider forming an LLC (that would grant certain protection to you personally).

As far as limited liability goes, the name of an LLC is less important, more important is the fact that this is an LLC. You need to maintain certain formalities to protect your company veil, but other than that the only advantage of using a brand name instead of your personal name for the LLC name is, as you mentioned, to be less visible to those looking to cause you trouble.

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