Q: As a musician who intends to perform independently under the gov legal name, what should I do first to protect my work?
I intend to begin performing on the stage as well as sell my music and other media content via digital platforms: all under my name. On the longer run I intend to establish a company that will be specializing in producing media content, managing artists performances (primarily as a booking agency), as well as producing and retailing multiple products related to company's media activities. Thus, I'd like to know what steps should be done first of all and what can be deferred for later? Hope it makes sense and thank you!
A: What is "gov legal name"? Do you mean your name? You actually need to trademark your name. While it seems odd, if your name is a brand, you need to protect it. Whether you incorporate at this point or not (and it generally is beneficial to do so), if your name will be the name of the corporation, you should do that now. You also need to see if domain names and other things are available. If your name is John Smith, these things are issues.
1 user found this answer helpful
A:
I'm unclear what you mean when you say you'll be performing "under the gov legal name" -- but whatever name you choose to perform under should be trademarked (and you should run a sufficient clearance search to ensure that your stage name is not in conflict with another name which may already be trademarked and in use.
As for the the production and management services, etc., you can set this all up to operate under an LLC which you should form. If you would like for your performance/stage name revenue to run through the same venture, than the trademark should be owned by this LLC as well. You'll also need to procure an appropriate business license in the regions where you'll be conducted your services.
If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to email me at: Jason@altviewlawgroup.com
1 user found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
