Questions for US based laser companies on trademanrks and taxes.

[TechJunkie]

I'm starting to set up my home workshop, and I'm toying with the idea of creating a small laser company. When I mean small, I mean small. At a hobbyists level. I plan to sell maybe a dozen, or so units a year.

I'm an artist, and have a long list of creative concepts using lasers. Laser tech is great, but I find the form very boring, and static. The typical black box with a window really turns me off. I think form, and function should be both an artistic representation of ones individualism. When you set these up your client, audience, friends, and peers are going to notice it.

Here are my questions.

1. I have a name for the company, and I'm designing the logo. How can I protect this name, and logo so it does not get stolen? I dont know if it should be copyrighted, registered, or trademarked. Which would be the easiest, and cheapest road to follow?

2. I'd like to do a web page. Because the company is so small do I have to pull tax ID numbers, or can I just run it through my bank, and pay taxes on declared income? Which would be the better option for a hobbyists micro company? Or should I go the eBay/Etsy route, and run it through Paypal?

3. How do I protect myself if someone missuses my product? Is signing a digital waver legal, and binding?

I also dont want the FDA, or other government agencies giving me grief. Is it legal to sell it in kit form? Can I send it overseas, and have a partner assemble, and ship them? Like a drop shipper. Is that legal? I dont want to do anything illegal. I can handle immoral though, LOL.

Keep in mind I dont plan on making millions. I have nothing but time on my hands, and have a deep love for lasers, and art. All I want to do is share that with people. Its not really about money. So I guess the last question is should I form a company, or just stick to the forums, eBay, and Etsy?

Thanks in advance for any help.

EDIT; I wont be selling running projectors other than maybe a lumia machine, or two. I will be selling projector cases though. So I dont need the legalities for projectors, but other projects may contain <1W lasers. Or at least set up for a <1w module to be added by the end user when they receive the product.