To whom do Innovations relating to a 7 Brew store belong?
7_Brew Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You must promptly disclose to us all ideas, concepts, techniques, or materials relating to a 7 BREW Store ("Innovations"), whether or not protectable intellectual property and whether created by or for you or your owners, employees, or contractors. Innovations belong to and are works made-for-hire for us. If any Innovation does not qualify as a "work made-for-hire" for us, you assign ownership of and all related rights to that Innovation to us and must sign (and cause your owners, employees, and contractors to sign) whatever assignment or other documents we periodically request to evidence our ownership and to help us obtain intellectual property rights in the Innovation. You may not use any Innovation in operating the Store without our prior written approval.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 51–52)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to 7 Brew's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, any innovations related to a 7 Brew store automatically belong to 7 Brew. The FDD defines "Innovations" as any ideas, concepts, techniques, or materials related to the 7 Brew store, regardless of whether they can be protected by intellectual property laws. This includes innovations created by the franchisee, their owners, employees, or contractors.
7 Brew considers these innovations as "works made-for-hire." If an innovation does not legally qualify as a work-made-for-hire, the franchisee is required to assign ownership and all related rights to 7 Brew. This assignment extends to the franchisee's owners, employees, and contractors, who must also sign any documents necessary to evidence 7 Brew's ownership and help them secure intellectual property rights.
This means that as a 7 Brew franchisee, you must disclose any innovations to 7 Brew and cannot use them in your store's operation without their prior written approval. This requirement ensures that 7 Brew maintains control over any new developments or improvements related to the brand and its operations. This is a fairly standard practice in franchising, as franchisors typically want to maintain uniformity and protect their brand standards across all locations.