setting up a dba in nyc. i use a (-) in the name wondering if for filing its safer to use my name w/o (-)?

The term is more important to me than the (-) mark. I'm afraid if i file for a dba with the (-) then someone may just steal my name and start using a (.) where the dash is.
i will use a fake name as example:
b-logica
is it smarter & safer to file as blogica instead?

Also it is a photography company,
for example i would always use the name b-logica photography
but in filing, should I just use the blogica

Any advice is much appreciated

A DBA in New York, assuming you're a sole proprietorship, will be filed at the county level. As far as the ability to file, your name will be protected within your county or burrough -- and if someone tries to file within your county with the same name, simply removing or adding a hyphen will not make that name distinctive enough from yours to be filed. The county will reject the filing as "confusingly similar" to one already on file.

Whether you register a trademark or not, you'll also enjoy some level of trademark protection in your industry, and the hyphen issue won't matter there either. For example, if you started a business named i-Pad, even though there's a hyphen between "i" and "Pad," you'll still be sued for infringement.

Hope this helps!

Source(s):

www.clickandinc.com/business-format...
www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/Bas...