What's in a name?

October 5, 2009 1:11 PM

Sole traders in the UK + iPhone developer program. How did you register using your business name rather than your own?

I've tried to register with the program using option 2:

This program is for a developer or development team who will be creating free and commercial applications for iPhone and iPod touch.

Enroll as a company if you intend to distribute applications under your company name.

The problem is, Apple will only recognise my business if I have a certificate of incorporation. That is, if I run a limited liability company. I've explained to them that I am a sole trader, trading under a business name and that a certificate of incorporation is not applicable to me. I've sent many emails but I keep getting the same, standard, replies. Repeatedly, they tell me that if I have no certificate of incorporation I should sign up under option 1:

This program is for an individual developer who will be creating free and commercial applications for iPhone and iPod touch.

Enroll as an individual if you intend to distribute applications under your name.

This option does not allow me to use my business name whereas option 2 does. I am a developer who intends to distribute applications under my company name. Option 2 applies to me. Option 1 does not. I have a business name and I wish to use it.

There must be many sole traders using their business names in the app store. If you're out there, how did you do it?

posted by popcassady to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Best answer: If you use option 2, when you submit your first app the store will let you put your company name in. That will appear everywhere in the store, in listings and so on. However: your real name will appear in the receipts iTunes sends (which will say under each item line "seller: popcassady").

The only way to avoid this is to register as an LLC. Which is heartache and hassle aplenty, and 90% of iPhone devs don't bother (check your iTunes receipts to see just how many!) since it's just the receipts that are affected. Everything else gets the business name.
posted by fightorflight at 5:57 PM on October 5, 2009

I registered my business name with my (US) state as a DBA (doing business as) / sole proprietorship. Apple asked for documentation to be faxed, I sent them the DBA documents, and I was approved.

I'm not sure how things differ in the UK. Is there a UK equivalent of a DBA, and do you have one?
posted by mmoncur at 6:45 PM on October 5, 2009

Response by poster: ...when you submit your first app the store will let you put your company name in. That will appear everywhere in the store, in listings and so on. However: your real name will appear in the receipts iTunes sends (which will say under each item line "seller: popcassady").

fightorflight, just for clarification; do you suggest I sign up as a company or as an individual?
posted by popcassady at 4:20 AM on October 6, 2009

Best answer: As an individual -- the only drawback is the receipt thing. Everything else is as if you were a business.
posted by fightorflight at 8:46 AM on October 6, 2009