Time Warner Inc's Internet unit, AOL, filed a registration statement with U.S. regulators on Monday ahead of AOL's long-expected separation from its parent.

Time Warner previously said AOL will be separated as a publicly traded company later this year, ending a troublesome eight-year old merger.

The AOL filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said that, ahead of the proposed separation AOL Holdings LLC will be converted into a Delaware corporation and renamed AOL Inc.

AOL Chief executive Tim Armstrong told Reuters last week the business will focus primarily on being a Web advertising business.

Though details are still to be confirmed, current Time Warner shareholders are expected to be holders of the new AOL shares once the company is separated.

(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; editing by Andre Grenon)

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