Currently I live in Reno, Nevada.<p>I got an iOS developer's license under my name in February 2013. Since it is under my name, it will be displayed when I submit it to the App Store. I do not want to release it under my own name in fear of getting sued by a patent troll.<p>The application itself is a music player, which streams audio from another source that I do not control. As such, I am afraid that it might be possible that I may violate some term, or I might break some DLC rule or something to that effect. Or just plain old bad luck with some random patent troll.<p>I have done some research and it appears that my best course of action is to start an LLC and get a new Apple Developer license under the LLC's name. I really don't know how I would go about acquiring the LLC, though. I also do not know if there is anything else I should do to protect myself that I may have overlooked. It would be great if someone could clarify this for me!<p>Thanks.
Do you have millions of dollars to pay a settlement? Hundreds of thousands? Tens of thousands perhaps?<p>No, right?<p>Then why do you think you're going to be targeted by anybody for a lawsuit of any description? It's generally a bad idea to sue poor people.<p>Put your app out and see what happens. This seems like the silliest possible reason to avoid doing so.
The usual advice applies, if you are really worried consult a lawyer. Many will do 30min - 1hr consultations for free and will enlighten you to the risks about your app specifically.<p>An LLC will protect you from most liabilities and is probably the easiest way to protect yourself in this case. Worst case scenario they sue the company and get all $0 worth of assets from it (assuming no sales).<p>Applying for an LLC is fairly simple and straight forward. Most states allow you to create one online for less than $100. It honestly takes less than an hour to set them up. Beware the tax implications of doing so, it's a pass-through entity meaning profits and losses are passed directly to your personal income. This is usually not a big deal and most tax software makes this very simple to document at tax time, just keep a record of all profits and expenses.<p>This is just from experience so take it with a grain of salt. Hopefully this gets you started with some further research.
Are you thinking of the LLC to hide your identity? I don't think that will work--the LLC is a legal structure that has your name linked to it in the state that is registered in.<p>It sure sounds like you think the LLC provides more protection against this particular problem than it actually does. Sadly, I don't think it does nearly enough to make your concerns go away. IANAL and AFAIU, the LLC will protect your personal money if you get sued <i>if</i> you are not found by the judge to be personally negligent, and <i>if</i> you are not found by the judge to be merely an alter ego of the LLC (and thus s/he would pierce the corporate veil, i.e., order your personal assets liable), and <i>if</i> you pay your lawyers up to $1 mil in legal fees to defend, etc.<p>It's really not as protective as any of us would hope.
Different types of entities, such as incorporation, subchapter-S corp, and so on, might offer different degrees and types of legal protection. Talk to a lawyer and consider your options.