It can be a letterbox. The point is that there needs to be a way to contact a company in such a way that message delivery is provable and legally binding.
AFAIK no universally adopted modern form of communication fulfills both.
I'm not so sure it can be a letterbox. When registering companies with the Handelsregister in Germany, I think there is a legal requirement to have a physical address. At least from my experience.
In the US, most (all?) states require a local registered agent with a non-PO box in the state. A lot of companies do good business as registered agents for out-of-state and foreign companies, where they file the paperwork and forward mail to the desired recipient.
In Australia, all companies must have a registered address, available on the register of companies (which isn't quite as open as I'd prefer, it isn't nearly as good as the UK's Companies House, for instance). This physical address must then have a plaque showing the registered company name roughly at the door.
In reality, just like in the Paradise Papers leaks etc, an individual accountant's office might have 4000 of these lined up next to their door.
Of course, for the vast majority of businesses, this is not much of a hurdle, and for most consumers it isn't all that helpful either, but end of the day, scammers are gonna scam, whatever the obstacles are. Even those that aren't outright scammers, will be paying accountants to have a plaque on their door to show that this is their "physical office" ...
Hopefully such efforts at least help courts assign some blame when the time comes.
Given how easy it is to do e.g. DMCA abuse, or claiming random videos on YouTube, I'd say they haven't solved it. There's even a lovely weird expression for it, fly-by-night companies.
When I see an imprint and see that it's a home address, I have no problems with that. It lets me know that this person is either just getting started or simply doesn't want to grow into a bigger company, probably because he/she has a real job, which are both great things, but if they scam me, I know where to contact them.
Why would I randomly show up at their house and ring their bell?
Many companies start in the "garage" and if you have privacy concerns, you can't use your home address as company address. This requires you to rent a spot in a coworking that allows you to use their address as company address. Also, you need to get a second phone.
Too many small inconveniences for a small unprofitable startup that you need to worry about, instead of focusing on finding product market fit.
Why do you think the company needs its right to privacy but the customers that deal with that company don't need the right to know who they're dealing with ?
For your startup, aren't you setting up your DNS, webhosting, etc? aren't these small inconveniences that you're doing instead of "focusing on finding product market fit" ?
Each company, nay, each person has to do some amount of "paperwork" in order to create society that functions. Why should your startup admin be easier then my filling of personal taxes ?
At least here in Germany, you shouldn't use your home address for your business at all, because of Tax obligations, at least when you are not renting.
Because if you want to move your business later, when it grows, the tax office will regard your home as part of the business. Things will get complicated that way.
Out of all things that prevent innovation, this is probably the simplest with a "pay to fix it" solution. And the amount is not even that high.. we're talking about a few euros per month.
It not only prevents innovation, but it also enables fake industries, such as companies that harass and "fine" you (not legally binding) for not having an imprint even when not required, or otherwise coming up with irrelevant "problems" with your imprint and reporting you to authorities.
Something where you're reachable for any legal purposes- in Germany this sadly remains a physical address.
There are various service which offer a 'virtual' address with digital forwarding of letters for less than 10Eur/Month, so it's not an insurmountable obstacle.
> It also defends against random internet crazies who are mad at you because you scammed them.
Or think you scammed them! Crazies gonna crazy.
> how much attention of any sort does the average garage startup get?
I think that anyone who has dealt with the general public in any organisation (scouting, church, business, government) will tell you that a surprisingly large number of people (I have seen estimates as high as one in four!) are crazy to one degree or another.
I would very much rather not have my home address out there for every Tom, Dick & Harry who thinks that my software is making the aliens send radio transmissions to his teeth.
