# POL-226 — The brand name must be identical across samples, SMS terms and the opt-in disclosure

> The brand or DBA used in the message samples must match the brand name in the SMS terms and the name shown in the opt-in disclosure.

- **Rule ID:** POL-226
- **Layer:** Policy pages (`POLICY_PAGE`)
- **Checks:** `campaign.sample[] + terms body + consent disclosure`
- **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 privacy policy or SMS terms
- **Required by:** TCR, CTIA, Bandwidth
- **Applies:** Applies to every 10DLC registration.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/policy-page/pol-226/

## Why this rule exists

A consumer encounters the brand name three times — when they opt in, in the messages, and in the terms they consult later — and reviewers check that all three describe one sender. Marketing teams routinely use a shortened trading name in messages and the legal name in the terms, which reads as two different businesses sharing a programme.

## How to fix it

Choose one customer-facing name and use it identically in the samples, in the SMS terms, and in the opt-in disclosure. Register that name as the brand display name or DBA so the registration matches too.

## Example of a compliant value

```text
All three use "Acme Coffee" (registered as the DBA of Acme Coffee Co, LLC).
```