After termination or expiration of the Aw Franchise Agreement, are the franchisee's owners also prohibited from identifying themselves as associated with Aw?
Aw Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- 16.2 The Marks. You (and your Owners) agree that after the termination or expiration (without renewal) of this Agreement you will:
- (a) not directly or indirectly at any time or in any manner identify yourself or any business as a current or former Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant, or as a franchisee or licensee of or as otherwise associated with us, or use the Marks, any colorable imitation thereof or other indicia of a Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant in any manner or for any purpose, or utilize for any purpose any trade name, trademark, service mark, trade dress, domain name, or other commercial symbol that suggests or indicates a connection or association with us;
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 39–40)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Aw's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, after the termination or expiration of the franchise agreement, both the franchisee and their owners are prohibited from identifying themselves as being associated with Aw. Specifically, they cannot represent themselves as a current or former Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant, or as a franchisee or licensee of Aw, or as otherwise associated with Aw. They are also barred from using Aw's trademarks or any similar identifying marks.
This restriction ensures that former franchisees and their owners do not mislead the public into believing they are still part of the Aw franchise system after their agreement ends. This protects Aw's brand integrity and prevents potential confusion among customers.
In addition to ceasing any association with the brand, the franchisee must also return or destroy all materials bearing Aw's marks, cancel any registrations related to the use of Aw's marks, and transfer telephone numbers and domain names to Aw. These measures are standard practice in franchising to ensure a clean break and prevent any continued use of the franchisor's intellectual property after the franchise agreement concludes.