legal, mobile-apps, softwareI have been working on a simple application that I will offer for free with built in advertising. I am based in the USA and want this app to work for Argentina and the USA.
Do I have to create a company in both countries to distribute the app via Apple’s AppStore? Google’s Playstore?
Thanks for any and all information leading to an answer to this question.
Do I have to create a company in both countries to distribute the app via Apple’s AppStore? Google’s Playstore?
No.
When you get to sharing/uploading your app in the Apple or Android store, you get to select where your app is distributed. You can select worldwide or specific to one or more countries.
You can sell to anyone anywhere (so long as there are no sanctions or other legal issues).
Side note: Bigger companies like Alphabet/Google create “sub-companies” to reduce liability and/or avail of tax advantages plus many other reasons.
Liability: If your app disrupts or creates unintended negative effects, the company would be held accountable. Thus if all of Googles many businesses fell under one umbrella, and one of them screwed up, the law could penalise them based on their entire profits (which would have accrued via all the different businesses). If they had separate entities and one of them screwed up, then the penalty would more likely fall against that one entity leaving the rest of the businesses untouched.
Tax advantages: Many countries have favourable taxes offered to kids clothes for example. If you did kids clothes and adult clothes, you might want to split into two and maximise your tax benefits on your production of childrens clothes.
You also need to have an entity (company) if you employ employees - so if you have employees in two countries, each country’s laws will apply and thus two companies would be required.
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