business domain-name sole-propietorship
If I buy a domain, do I need to create an LLC?
<p>So, I want to create a name and buy a domain for a website to use currently. However, in the future I would like it to be a business so that way I can self-publish. Do I need to create an LLC if I already own the domain? Can someone legally create an LLC with the same name as my domain? Just trying to understand what the difference is between an LLC and a business</p>

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<p>Do I need to create an LLC if I already own the domain?</p>
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<p>No.</p>
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<p>Can someone legally create an LLC with the same name as my domain?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes.</p>
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<p>Just trying to understand what the difference is between an LLC and a business</p>
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<p>An LLC, a &quot;limited liability company,&quot; is a kind of legal entity that has a separate identity from the members of the LLC.  The members' liability is limited with respect to the company's liability, hence the name.</p>
<p>A business is a commercial activity.  The two concepts are independent.  A person can have a business without forming a corporation, or indeed many businesses.  A single corporation can also have many businesses.</p>
<p>Back to the question about someone forming an LLC using your domain name, this raises the issue of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark" rel="nofollow noreferrer">trademark protection</a>.  In the US, at least, you can't register a trademark unless it is &quot;in use in commerce&quot; (<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1051" rel="nofollow noreferrer">15 USC 1051(a)(3)(C)</a>), which means explicitly that you cannot use the mark &quot;merely to reserve a right in&quot; it (<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1127" rel="nofollow noreferrer">15 USC 1127</a>).</p>
<p>But there are many subtleties of trademark protection that are widely misunderstood by most people, so if you anticipate wanting trademark protection for a name, you will probably want to learn about how trademark protection works and likely talk to a trademark lawyer.</p>
