Does the Anago subfranchisor's obligation to assist the franchisor with respect to ownership rights of Innovations continue after the termination of the franchise agreement?

According to Anago's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the subfranchisor's obligation to assist Anago with respect to ownership rights of Innovations continues even after the termination or expiration of the franchise agreement. This obligation extends to executing, verifying, and delivering documents, including assignments, and performing other acts, such as appearing as a witness, as Anago may reasonably request. These actions are necessary for Anago to apply for, obtain, perfect, evidence, sustain, and enforce ownership rights related to Innovations.

This means that even after a subfranchise agreement ends, the former subfranchisor must still cooperate with Anago in protecting its intellectual property rights related to any Innovations. This includes assisting with legal processes and documentation to ensure Anago's ownership is secure.

The FDD emphasizes that all improvements, developments, derivative works, enhancements, or modifications to any Confidential Information made by the subfranchisor, its employees, contractors, or unit franchisees are owned solely by Anago. The subfranchisor is responsible for ensuring that its employees, contractors, and unit franchisees have written agreements assigning all rights to these innovations to the subfranchisor, who then assigns them to Anago. This ensures that Anago maintains complete control over its intellectual property, even after the subfranchise relationship concludes.