What must an Aw franchisee do with Confidential Information upon termination or expiration?
Aw Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- 16.3 Confidential Information. You agree that upon termination or expiration (without renewal) of this Agreement, you will immediately cease to use in any business or otherwise the Confidential Information disclosed to you pursuant to this Agreement and will return to us all copies of the Operations Manual, any proprietary software and other materials containing our proprietary information which have been loaned to you by us.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 39–40)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Aw's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, upon termination or expiration of the Franchise Agreement, the franchisee must immediately cease using any Confidential Information disclosed during the agreement. This includes refraining from using the information in any business or other capacity.
Furthermore, the franchisee is obligated to return to Aw all copies of the Operations Manual, any proprietary software, and other materials containing Aw's proprietary information that were loaned to them during the franchise term. This ensures that Aw's trade secrets and confidential business practices are protected even after the franchise relationship ends.
This requirement is standard in franchising to protect the franchisor's intellectual property and maintain a competitive advantage. Failure to comply with these obligations could result in legal action from Aw to protect its Confidential Information.