Does Afuri Ramen Dumpling consider its business processes and supplier relationships to be trade secrets?
Afuri_Ramen_Dumpling Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
We claim proprietary rights to certain confidential information and trade secrets related to our business processes and supplier relationships that you will learn during training. We consider such processes and modifications to be our trade secrets.
All data pertaining to your Franchise and all data you create or collect in connection with your operation of the Franchise (collectively, "Afuri Data"), including, data pertaining to, or otherwise concerning, the Franchise's customers, or that you otherwise collect, including data uploaded to, or downloaded from your computer system, is Afuri Data and is our sole property. We have the right to review and use the Afuri Data in any manner that we deem appropriate without any compensation to you. You just provide us with copies and/or originals of the Afuri Data within five days after our request for the Afuri Data at no cost to us and at any time during the term of your Franchise Agreement and upon the expiration and/or termination of your Franchise Agreement. We license the use of the Afuri Data to you during the term of your Franchise Agreement, at no cost to you, solely for your use in the operation of your Franchise. You must maintain the Afuri Data as secret and confidential and must not make any of the Afuri Data available to any unauthorized person without our prior written consent of and then only in the manner we permit.
Source: Item 14 — Patents, Copyright & Proprietary Information (FDD page 39)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to Afuri Ramen Dumpling's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, the company claims proprietary rights to confidential information and trade secrets related to its business processes and supplier relationships. This information is typically learned during the franchisee's training program. Afuri Ramen Dumpling considers these processes and any modifications to them as trade secrets.
This means that a franchisee must maintain the confidentiality of these business processes and supplier relationships. This includes not disclosing this information to any unauthorized individuals without prior written consent from Afuri Ramen Dumpling.
Afuri Ramen Dumpling also considers all data pertaining to the franchise, including customer data and data collected in connection with the operation of the franchise, as their sole property. They have the right to review and use this data in any manner they deem appropriate without compensating the franchisee. The franchisee is required to provide copies or originals of this data to Afuri Ramen Dumpling within five days of their request, at no cost to the franchisor, both during the term of the Franchise Agreement and upon its expiration or termination. The franchisee is granted a license to use this data during the term of the Franchise Agreement, at no cost, solely for the operation of their franchise.