Legal Question in Business Law in California

I would like to set up business online by selling my own designed t-shirts, which means I make products in my house and sell online.

The problem is I don't know where to register my business.

I am a American citizen living in China at the moment because of my husbands job and we will

be living here indefinitely.

Do I have to register my business in the U.S.?

Do I need this to set up business online?


Asked on 3/20/11, 10:25 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Even in the internet world, physical presence (for now) is what matters. You need to comply with the laws of the locations where you physically do business. So where you have your office matters. Where you have your servers matters. Where you have your manufacturing and shipping matters. Unless any of that or other aspects of your business will be in the U.S., the U.S. doesn't matter. Unless you want it to. There may be reasons you would want to legally home your business in the U.S. and register as a foreign company doing business in other locations where you have physical activities. Only by going into a lot of detail about your business model and plans could we give you any more specific advice than that.

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Answered on 3/20/11, 10:41 pm
Bryan Whipple Bryan R. R. Whipple, Attorney at Law

Without denying the truth of what Mr. McCormick says, I'd say your business needs to comply with the local and national laws of China and the province where you reside.

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Answered on 3/21/11, 9:08 am


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