Does Aunt Millies Bakeries have any patents material to the franchise?
Aunt_Millies_Bakeries Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
The 3 marks we own, Aunt Millie's, Koepplinger's, and WE LOVE TO BAKE, are registered on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We have filed all required affidavits and renewed these Marks in a timely manner.
Licensed Marks
We have entered into 2 agreements which give us the right to manufacture, sell, and distribute products under the "Sunbeam" and "Hillbilly" marks ("Licensed Marks"). We do not have the authority to file required affidavits or to renew the registrations of the Licensed Marks. In our License Agreement ("Roush License Agreement") dated December 10, 1975 with Roush Bakery Products, Inc. ("Roush"), we have the exclusive right to manufacture and sell Hillbilly Bread in certain areas of Indiana and Ohio ("Our Roush Territory"). If your Sales Area is within Our Roush Territory, you may distribute Hillbilly Bread products as well as Aunt Millie's and Koepplinger's products. The term of the Roush License Agreement is for an indefinite period of time, although we may cancel it by giving 120 days written notice. Roush may terminate the Roush License Agreement upon 10 days' notice for cause, including: our failure to follow Roush's recipes, our failure to maintain at least 40 grocery routes for the distribution of Hillbilly Bread, our failure to sell an average of at least 100 units of Hillbilly bread per route per week over a 30 day period, our discontinuing the manufacture and/or sale of the Hillbilly products for a period of 30 or more days, or in the event of our insolvency, assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD page 31)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document does not include any information about Aunt Millie's Bakeries owning patents. However, the document does discuss trademarks and licensed marks. Aunt Millie's Bakeries owns the trademarks for "Aunt Millie's", "Koepplinger's", and "WE LOVE TO BAKE", all of which are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Aunt Millie's Bakeries also has agreements to manufacture, sell, and distribute products under the licensed marks "Sunbeam" and "Hillbilly". The right to use the "Sunbeam" mark comes from an agreement with Quality Bakers of America Cooperative, Inc. The right to use the "Hillbilly" mark comes from a license agreement with Roush Bakery Products, Inc., giving Aunt Millie's Bakeries the exclusive right to manufacture and sell Hillbilly Bread in certain areas of Indiana and Ohio.
Prospective franchisees should be aware that their right to distribute products under these licensed marks depends on Aunt Millie's Bakeries maintaining its agreements. For example, the Roush License Agreement can be terminated if Aunt Millie's Bakeries fails to meet certain requirements, such as maintaining a minimum number of grocery routes or selling a minimum number of Hillbilly Bread units per route. If Aunt Millie's Bakeries loses the rights to these marks, the franchisee's right to use them would also terminate.