Business filings: fictitious business names.

Existing law requires a person who regularly transacts business in the state for profit under a fictitious business name to file a fictitious business name statement in accordance with prescribed requirements within 40 days of commencing to transact business. Under existing law, a fictitious business name statement expires 5 years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk or 40 days after any change in specified facts included on that statement, except that a change in the residence address of an individual, general partner, or trustee does not cause the statement to expire. This bill would delete the above-specified exception. Existing law requires a business that ceases to transact business in the state under a fictitious business name to file a statement of abandonment of the use of the fictitious business name. Existing law authorizes a registrant who is a general partner in a partnership that is or has been regularly transacting business under a fictitious business name, upon withdrawing as a general partner, to file a statement of withdrawal from the partnership operating under a fictitious business name. Existing law requires the registrant who files a fictitious business name statement, statement of abandonment, or statement of withdrawal to include specified information, including the registrant's name and residence address. This bill would require any registrant who files a fictitious business name statement, statement of abandonment, or statement of withdrawal to include a business mailing address instead of a residence address. This bill would delete obsolete references and make other technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.