# BRD-049 — Stock fields must be empty for non-public entities

> stockSymbol and stockExchange must be omitted entirely when the entity type is not PUBLIC_PROFIT.

- **Rule ID:** BRD-049
- **Layer:** Brand (`BRAND`)
- **Checks:** `brand.stock_symbol + brand.stock_exchange`
- **Severity:** HIGH — Rejected by at least one carrier or provider, and a common cause of failure at the rest.
- **When it bites:** Gates approval — get this wrong and registration is refused
- **How it is detected:** Deterministic (settled in code from the submitted values)
- **Fix type:** Fix the field — a better value in the form clears it
- **Required by:** TCR, Twilio
- **Applies:** Applies when the brand is NOT a public company.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/brand/brd-049/

## Why this rule exists

A populated ticker on a private company is an internally contradictory registration, and vetting treats contradictions as failed identity verification rather than as a harmless extra field. It usually happens when a form is copied from a template or a previous registration.

## How to fix it

Clear both stock fields. They apply only to publicly traded companies.

## Example of a compliant value

```text
Stock symbol: (empty) · Stock exchange: (empty)
```