§31E-4-402. Use of the words "corporation", "incorporated" or "limited"; prohibitions; penalties.

(a) No person may use the word "corporation" or "incorporated" or any abbreviation of these words, in any trade name, business or other organization name unless the name is used by a domestic or foreign corporation authorized by the Secretary of State to transact business in West Virginia under the provisions of this chapter or chapter thirty-one-d of this code.

(b) No person may use the word "limited" or any abbreviation of the word "limited" in any trade name, business or other organization name unless the name is used by a domestic or foreign corporation authorized by the Secretary of State to transact business in West Virginia under the provisions of this chapter, chapters thirty-one-b, thirty-one-d or forty-seven of this code.

(c) The Tax Commissioner may not issue any business registration certificate under the provisions of article twelve, chapter eleven of this code to any business if the business name includes any of the words or their abbreviations as set forth in subsection (a) or (b) of this section unless the business is a domestic or foreign corporation or domestic or foreign business corporation.

(d) Any person who unlawfully uses any one or more of the prescribed words or their abbreviations as set forth in subsection (a) or (b) of this section is to be deemed to be acting as a corporation without authority of law and subject to an action in quo warranto as provided in article two, chapter fifty-three of this code.

(e) Any person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or confined in the county or regional jail not more than thirty days, or both.

(f) The provisions of this section do not apply to businesses in existence prior to July 1, 1988.