The phrase "doing business as" (abbreviated DBA or d/b/a) is a legal term used in the United States, meaning

that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the legal person (or persons) who actually own it and are responsible for it. In other countries the expressions operating as (abbreviated o/a) or trading as (abbreviated T/A) are used for a similar purpose. The desired name might not have been registerable, or the business might be owned by another company, franchisee, or a sole proprietorship, resulting in all legally binding transactions taking place on behalf of the trading as name eg. MacDonalds T/A My Enterprises Inc. The distinction between an actual and a "fictitious" name is important because businesses with "fictitious" names give no obvious indication of the entity that is legally responsible for their operation. In Canada, the term operating as (abbreviated to o/a) is used.

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand (and some parts of the United States), the phrase trading as (abbreviated t/a) is used. In the United Kingdom there is no filing requirement for a "trading as" name, but there are requirements for disclosure of the true owner's name, and some restrictions on the use of certain names.[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doing_business_as A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_name