Who owns the Innovations related 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 Apricot Lane's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Country Visions, Inc. owns all Innovations related to an Apricot Lane store. The FDD specifies that all ideas, concepts, techniques, or materials related to an Apricot Lane store, whether or not they are protectable intellectual property, are the sole and exclusive property of Country Visions. This includes innovations created by the franchisee, their owners, employees, or contractors. These innovations are considered part of the Apricot Lane system and are classified as works made-for-hire for Country Visions.
If any innovation does not legally qualify as a work made-for-hire, the franchisee must assign ownership and all related rights to Country Visions. The franchisee also agrees 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.
This means that if a franchisee develops a new display method, marketing idea, or any other improvement related to the Apricot Lane store, they must disclose it to Country Visions, and Country Visions will own it. The franchisee cannot use the innovation without prior approval from Country Visions. This clause ensures that Country Visions maintains control over the Apricot Lane system and can implement successful innovations across all franchise locations without compensating franchisees for their ideas.