Regarding the protection of a franchisee's rights to use Auntie Annes' copyrights, are the obligations the same as those described for Proprietary Marks in Item 13?

According to Auntie Annes' 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee's obligations to protect their rights to use Auntie Annes' copyrights are the same as the obligations for Proprietary Marks described in Item 13. This means that the level of protection and the responsibilities of both Auntie Annes and the franchisee are consistent across both copyrights and proprietary marks.

This parity in obligations suggests that Auntie Annes places equal importance on protecting both its copyrights and proprietary marks. For a prospective franchisee, this implies a consistent approach in how Auntie Annes expects them to manage and safeguard the brand's intellectual property, whether it relates to logos and trademarks (proprietary marks) or written and visual materials (copyrights).

Franchisees should carefully review Item 13 of the FDD to fully understand these obligations related to Proprietary Marks, as those same obligations will apply to the use of Auntie Annes' copyrighted materials. This includes understanding how to properly use and display these assets, as well as the steps to take if any infringement is suspected or detected.