{
  "id": "WEB-152",
  "slug": "web-152",
  "title": "A sole proprietor site must not present as a registered company",
  "statement": "Where the brand is registered as a sole proprietor, the website must not hold itself out as an LLC or incorporated entity.",
  "rationale": "A site displaying \"Acme Coffee LLC\" behind a sole proprietor registration tells the reviewer the tier is wrong — the business evidently is a registered entity and should have registered as one. The mismatch is caught on the website even when the brand form looks internally consistent.",
  "layer": "WEBSITE",
  "layerSlug": "website",
  "object": "brand website + brand.entity_type",
  "severity": "HIGH",
  "detectability": [
    "CRAWL"
  ],
  "failureClass": "TERMINAL_WEBSITE",
  "authorities": [
    "TCR",
    "Twilio"
  ],
  "applicability": {
    "entityTypes": [
      "SOLE_PROPRIETOR"
    ]
  },
  "applicabilityText": "Applies when the brand is a sole proprietor.",
  "universal": false,
  "remediation": "Either register the brand as the company the website advertises, using its EIN, or remove the corporate designation from the site if it is not accurate.",
  "phase": "approval",
  "automated": true,
  "url": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/website/web-152/",
  "markdown": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/website/web-152.md",
  "registry": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/",
  "updated": "2026-07-25",
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}