P0-1: Incorporate Swiss Cairn GmbH #16

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opened 2026-09-10 17:39:22 +00:00 by Cordy · 0 comments

Cordy commented

2026-09-10 17:39:22 +00:00

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Manual task. Not code. Blocks every other item in this milestone.

Why this is first

Every developer, store and signing account below requires a registered legal entity:

A D-U-N-S number is issued to a registered business.
Apple Organization enrolment requires the D-U-N-S.
A Google Play organization account requires entity verification — and that verification is what exempts you from the 12-testers/14-continuous-days gate.
A Windows OV code-signing certificate requires a verified entity.

Exact legal name

Swiss Cairn GmbH — spelling confirmed 2026-09-10. Register it verbatim. This exact string becomes the user-visible publisher name in the App Store, Google Play, Windows UAC prompts and macOS Gatekeeper dialogs, separately from the product name. Changing it later means a D&B record update, an Apple account change, and re-signing every artifact.

Steps

Confirm the name is available in the cantonal commercial register (Handelsregister) and as a domain/trademark if that matters to you.
Open a capital deposit (consignment) account at a Swiss bank and pay in CHF 20,000 minimum share capital. It must be fully paid in before registration. The bank releases the funds once the Handelsregister confirms incorporation.
Have the formation deed notarised.
File with the cantonal Handelsregister. A complete filing is entered in roughly 5–10 working days.
Confirm at least one managing director resides in Switzerland with a valid permit — this is a legal requirement for a GmbH.
Record the final registered name, UID number and registered address somewhere the whole team can find them. Every account below must match them exactly.

Realistic elapsed time: 2–4 weeks, most of it spent on the bank's checks rather than the registry.

Shortcut considered and rejected

Enrolling with Apple as an Individual needs no D-U-N-S and is faster. Rejected because the publisher name would be a personal name, and migrating to the GmbH later means a new Team ID, which breaks the Sparkle update-signature chain for already-installed clients. With no fixed launch date, waiting is cleaner.

Nothing is blocked by this

Phase 1 (phase-1-engine) is pure Go and needs none of these accounts. Start the engine while this runs in parallel.

Acceptance criteria

Entity registered, UID number issued.
Exact registered name recorded for use in all downstream accounts.

**Manual task. Not code. Blocks every other item in this milestone.** ## Why this is first Every developer, store and signing account below requires a **registered legal entity**: - A D-U-N-S number is issued to a registered business. - Apple Organization enrolment requires the D-U-N-S. - A Google Play **organization** account requires entity verification — and that verification is what exempts you from the 12-testers/14-continuous-days gate. - A Windows OV code-signing certificate requires a verified entity. ## Exact legal name **`Swiss Cairn GmbH`** — spelling confirmed 2026-09-10. Register it **verbatim**. This exact string becomes the user-visible publisher name in the App Store, Google Play, Windows UAC prompts and macOS Gatekeeper dialogs, separately from the product name. Changing it later means a D&B record update, an Apple account change, and re-signing every artifact. ## Steps - [ ] Confirm the name is available in the cantonal commercial register (Handelsregister) and as a domain/trademark if that matters to you. - [ ] Open a **capital deposit (consignment) account** at a Swiss bank and pay in **CHF 20,000** minimum share capital. It must be **fully paid in before registration**. The bank releases the funds once the Handelsregister confirms incorporation. - [ ] Have the formation deed **notarised**. - [ ] File with the cantonal Handelsregister. A complete filing is entered in roughly **5–10 working days**. - [ ] Confirm at least one **managing director resides in Switzerland** with a valid permit — this is a legal requirement for a GmbH. - [ ] Record the final registered name, UID number and registered address somewhere the whole team can find them. Every account below must match them exactly. **Realistic elapsed time: 2–4 weeks**, most of it spent on the bank's checks rather than the registry. ## Shortcut considered and rejected Enrolling with Apple as an **Individual** needs no D-U-N-S and is faster. Rejected because the publisher name would be a personal name, and migrating to the GmbH later means a **new Team ID**, which breaks the Sparkle update-signature chain for already-installed clients. With no fixed launch date, waiting is cleaner. ## Nothing is blocked by this Phase 1 (`phase-1-engine`) is pure Go and needs none of these accounts. Start the engine while this runs in parallel. ## Acceptance criteria - Entity registered, UID number issued. - Exact registered name recorded for use in all downstream accounts.