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I was looking for some important startup advice for something I am trying to start. I am creating a financial planning/informational website with a buddy. The only way we are going to make any money is by ads. It definitely won't earn a profit for over a year with all of the expenses coming from website building, hosting, domain name, etc.

Should I consider it a business? If so, do I need to get an LLC? We have bought a domain name and started creating the website.

Also, would it be legal to copy over stories and articles onto my website from others as long as we site the author/owner? I see that Yahoo Finance for example uses everyones stories and articles from major news outlets such as CNN and the AP on their site.

I know these are rookie questions but thanks for any help!

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Here's a technique I suggested in my answer to a related question - it's a generic technique which you can use to 'judge' the viability of your investment: answers.onstartups.com/questions/20913/… (PS: It's the selected answer so should be easy to find. You can use the same technique to help you answer your question) – PhD May 29 '11 at 6:27
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Felipe, you've asked about 10 different questions in this post! :) I suggest editing this post to contain just a single question as you are more likely to get a response. You can ask additional questions in other posts. – user6603 May 29 '11 at 8:10

2 Answers

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A) The copying thing is piracy. Don't do it without permission.

B) Do you think someone might sue you? Do you want all your assets to be available to pay them? If you answered "yes" and "no" respectively, then probably use a limited liability vehicle.

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up vote 1 down vote
  • You may not need LLC as long as you are not doing actual business. A personal adsense account for example is not considered a buisness in general. You might be thinking about it an year down the road once you start getting real returns and plan to grow.
  • Copying without reference is against law. You might take excrepts from the other sites with links to original content in most cases without any concern though. It is also legal to read the web and represent that information in your own words including your own opinion.
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