Is the Exit Franchisee's Trade Style name allowed to be the same as the Franchisee's legal entity name?

According to Exit's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisee's trade style name and legal entity name must be different. The trade style name is the name under which the Exit franchisee conducts business, and the franchisee's legal name cannot include the word "EXIT".

Before making any commitments, the franchisee must obtain written approval from the subfranchisor for its trade style name. The word "EXIT" must be positioned at the beginning of the name and must always be in capital letters. The trade style name cannot contain any arbitrary, whimsical, invented, or suggestive words or acronyms. The franchisee must file for a certificate of fictitious or assumed name as required by state law to notify the public that the franchisee is operating as an independent business under the Exit franchise agreement.

The franchisee may not change the trade style name or the legal name without prior written consent from the subfranchisor, which will not be unreasonably withheld. If the franchisee decides to advertise or conduct business online, the domain name must include the word "EXIT" and the EXIT logo, and it must be approved by the subfranchisor in writing. The trade style name or any domain name cannot include the words "National, International, Canada, U.S., or North America," or indicate that the franchisee has exclusive rights beyond the protected territory.