I have come up with a T shirt slogan that will have buyers queuing at your factory door like they were the latest generation ipad.
I am willing to let a limited number of astute investors in on the ground floor. I need people who push the envelope and aren’t afraid of innovation. All they need is to send me $100 to join this 100% guaranteed profit making enterprise.
Send cheques to Bob++ c/o The Straight Dope. (checks will do if you must)
Corporate lawyers are experts at figuring how what kind of corporate structure you need. S corporation, limited liability, general partnership? But you’re not going to get that expert advice from a message board.
The intellectual property questions are even more dependent on specialized legal knowledge.
The $$ you spend on our lawyer and accountant will of course be tax deductible.
We are mostly not lawyers, and those of us who are are not your lawyers. The information you seek is information you will have to pay for. One way or another.
Henryunderborn You seem to have massively underestimated the capital, time and effort it takes to create a business. Most people do. Out of all the people I know, I consider two (maybe three) qualified to start and run a business. Everybody else falls short somehow. Before anybody asks- no, I’m not qualified to start or run a business. The big (huge, Brobdingnagian even) difference between the OP and I, is that I am aware of my shortcomings in this matter.
Henryunderborn most of the posts raise good points. For example, how will you deal with copycats?
ETA
If you do decide to go through with this, Hillarity N Suze is right. You will absolutely need a lawyer who deals in trademark and intellectual property law.