Are Apricot Lane franchisees required to have their employees sign confidentiality agreements?
Apricot_Lane Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
All of your employees having access to the confidential information of COUNTRY VISIONS must sign confidentiality agreements in a form acceptable to COUNTRY VISIONS.
As a condition of using our Intranet, you must accept and abide by the Terms of Use, including the security and protection of proprietary and confidential information accessed or downloaded through the Intranet.
You must at all times insure that your copy of the Confidential Operations Manual in whatever media it is stored, is available at the Franchised Business premises in a current and up-to-date manner. At all times that the Confidential Operations Manual is not in use by authorized personnel, you must maintain the Confidential Operations Manual in a secure area and manner at the premises of the Franchised Business, and will not allow any unauthorized persons access to that area or to any computer system or other electronic device through which the Confidential Operations Manual can be accessed. All information regarding customers of franchisees is considered "confidential information" of COUNTRY VISIONS.
All ideas, concepts, techniques or materials relating to an Apricot Lane Store (collectively, "Innovations"), whether or not protectable intellectual property and whether created by or for you or your owners, employees or contractors, must be promptly disclosed to COUNTRY VISIONS and is COUNTRY VISIONS' sole and exclusive property, part of the System, and works made-for-hire for COUNTRY VISIONS. To the extent any Innovation does not qualify as a work made-for-hire for COUNTRY VISIONS, you assign ownership of that Innovation, and all related rights to that Innovation, to COUNTRY VISIONS and agrees to sign whatever assignment or other documents COUNTRY VISIONS requests to evidence COUNTRY VISIONS' ownership or to help COUNTRY VISIONS obtain intellectual property rights in the Innovation. COUNTY VISIONS and its affiliates have no obligation to make any payments to you or any other person with respect to any Innovations. You may not use any Innovation in operating your Store or otherwise without our prior approval.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 33–34)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Apricot Lane's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are required to ensure that all employees with access to the franchisor Country Visions' confidential information sign confidentiality agreements. These agreements must be in a form acceptable to Country Visions. This requirement aims to protect the franchisor's proprietary information and trade secrets.
This obligation extends to the use of Apricot Lane's Intranet, where franchisees must agree to the Terms of Use, including the security and protection of confidential information accessed or downloaded through the Intranet. Franchisees must also maintain a current copy of the Confidential Operations Manual at the franchised business premises and ensure it is secured against unauthorized access. All customer information is considered confidential information belonging to Country Visions.
Furthermore, any ideas, concepts, techniques, or materials related to an Apricot Lane store, termed "Innovations," must be promptly disclosed to Country Visions and become their exclusive property. This includes innovations created by the franchisee, their employees, or contractors. Franchisees must assign ownership of these innovations to Country Visions and agree to sign any documents necessary to evidence this ownership or help Country Visions obtain intellectual property rights. Country Visions is not obligated to compensate franchisees for these innovations, and franchisees cannot use them without prior approval.
In summary, Apricot Lane places a strong emphasis on protecting its confidential information and intellectual property, requiring franchisees to implement confidentiality agreements for employees and assigning ownership of any store-related innovations to the franchisor. This is a fairly standard practice in franchising, as franchisors need to protect their systems and methods of operation.