What are 'Innovations' in relation to an Apricot Lane store?
Apricot_Lane Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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 the 2025 Apricot Lane FDD, 'Innovations' encompass all ideas, concepts, techniques, or materials related to an Apricot Lane store. This definition includes anything created by or for the franchisee, their owners, employees, or contractors. These innovations can be protectable intellectual property or not.
Apricot Lane requires franchisees to promptly disclose any such innovations to Country Visions. All innovations become the sole and exclusive property of Country Visions, considered part of the Apricot Lane system, and are classified as works made-for-hire for Country Visions. If an innovation does not legally qualify as a work made-for-hire, the franchisee must still assign ownership and all related rights to Country Visions. Franchisees also agree to sign any documents necessary to evidence Country Visions' ownership or to help them obtain intellectual property rights for the innovation.
Country Visions and its affiliates are not obligated to provide any payment or compensation to the franchisee or any other person for these innovations. Furthermore, franchisees are prohibited from using any innovation in operating their Apricot Lane store or in any other way without prior approval from Country Visions. This means that while franchisees may develop new ideas or improvements for the store, they relinquish all rights to those innovations and cannot use them without the franchisor's permission.