Is an All States M.E.D. franchisee restricted from marketing on the Internet?
All_States_M_E_D Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
- e. You are restricted from establishing a presence on, or marketing on the Internet without our written consent. We have an Internet website that provides information about the System and our franchises. All information posted on our website or any linked webpages must be approved by us before it is posted. We retain the sole right to market on the Internet, including the use of websites, domain names, uniform resource locators, keywords, linking, search engines (and search engine optimization techniques), banner ads, meta-tags, marketing, auction sites, e-commerce, and co-branding arrangements. You may be requested to provide content for our Internet marketing and you must follow our intranet and Internet usage rules, policies and requirements. We retain the sole right to use the Marks on the Internet, including on websites, as domain names, directory addresses, search terms and meta-tags, social media pages and in connection with linking, marketing, co-branding and other arrangements. We retain the sole right to approve any linking to, or other use of, our website. You are not permitted to use a domain name containing our marks in the URL. (Section 11.4 of the Franchise Agreement).
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 23–27)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to the 2024 All States M.E.D. Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees face restrictions regarding internet marketing. Specifically, franchisees cannot establish an online presence or market on the internet without the franchisor's explicit written consent. All States M.E.D. maintains an official website providing information about the All States M.E.D. system and its franchises.
Any information franchisees wish to post on the All States M.E.D. website or any linked webpages requires prior approval from All States M.E.D. The franchisor retains sole authority over internet marketing, including websites, domain names, URLs, keywords, search engines and optimization, banner ads, meta-tags, auction sites, e-commerce, and co-branding.
While franchisees may be asked to contribute content for All States M.E.D.'s internet marketing efforts, they must adhere to the franchisor's intranet and internet usage rules, policies, and requirements. Franchisees are also prohibited from using domain names containing All States M.E.D.'s marks in their URLs. These restrictions ensure that All States M.E.D. maintains control over its brand image and online marketing strategies.