Must the termination agreement between Bang Cookies and the franchisee be in writing to terminate without cause?
Bang_Cookies Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
| Mark | Serial Number for | Application Type | Application Date | |---|---|---|---| | | Registration Application Filed with USPTO Application | | | | N/A | | N/A | N/A | As to our principal trademarks there are no currently effective material determinations by the USPTO, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, any court, or the trademark administrator of any state. There are no pending infringement, opposition or cancellation proceedings and no pending litigation involving our principal marks. We know of no superior rights or infringing uses that could materially affect your use of our principal marks or other related rights in any state.
You are required to provide us with written notice of any claims that you may become aware of respecting the Licensed Marks, including your use of the Licensed Marks and/or any claim associated with a third party's use of a trademark that is identical or confusingly similar to the Licensed Marks. We maintain the exclusive discretion to take any and all actions, or to refrain from any action, that we believe to be appropriate in response to any trademark infringement, challenge or claim. As between us, we possess the sole right to exclusively control any and all litigation, legal proceedings, administrative proceedings and/or settlement(s) involving any actual or alleged infringement, challenge or claim relating to the Licensed Marks. You must sign all documents, instruments and agreements and undertake the actions that we, with
the advice of our legal counsel, determine to be necessary or advisable for the protection and/or maintenance of our interests in the Licensed Marks in any legal proceeding, administrative proceeding or as may be otherwise determined by us. As to the foregoing, we will reimburse you for the reasonable out-of-pocket administrative expenses that you incur and pay in complying with our written instructions.
We will protect your right to use the Licensed Marks and other related rights and to protect you against claims of infringement and unfair competition related to the Licensed Marks, provided that you use the Licensed Marks in accordance with the terms of your Franchise Agreement, as designated by us in the Manuals, and, otherwise, as we instruct you. We will indemnify you against direct damages for trademark infringement in a proceeding arising out of your use of the Licensed Marks, provided your use of the Licensed Marks comply with the terms of your Franchise Agreement, the Manuals, our written instructions and, that you have timely notified us of the claim, have given us sole control of the defense and settlement of the claim, and you are in compliance with your Franchise Agreement and, if applicable, Multi-Unit Development Agreement. If we defend the claim, we have no obligation to indemnify or reimburse you with respect to any fees or disbursements of any attorney that you retain.
If any third party establishes, to our satisfaction and in our discretion that its rights to the Licensed Marks are, for any legal reason, superior to any of our rights or of a nature that we believe, in our discretion, that it is advisable to discontinue and/or modify the Licensed Marks, then we will modify and/or replace the Licensed Marks and you must use the substitutions, replacements and/or variations of and/or to the Licensed Marks and use those trademarks, service marks, logos and trade names required and designated by us. In such event, our sole liability and obligation will be to reimburse you for the direct out-of-pocket costs of complying with this obligation, which you must document to our satisfaction, including, by way of example, alterations in signage and replacement of marketing materials.
ITEM 14 PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
We do not own any rights to, or licenses in any patent or copyrights material to the franchise System**.** We may copyright advertising materials and design specifications, our Manuals and other written materials and items. We have not applied to the USPTO for the issuance of any patents.
You must keep as confidential our Manuals and any supplements to the Manuals. Our Manuals may take the form of written materials and/or digitally distributed and stored materials and made available to you for use in connection with the Franchised Business. The Manuals contain information about our System, Approved Services and Products, System Supplies, proprietary products, marketing systems, training, and confidential methods of operation. You must use all reasonable and prudent means to maintain the Manuals and the information maintained in the Manuals as confidential and prevent any unauthorized copies, recordings, reproduction, or distribution of the Manuals or the information contained in the Manuals. You must also restrict access to the Manuals to management level employees who sign a confidentiality agreement with you and are required by you to maintain the confidentiality of the Manuals and refrain from distributing or disclosing the Manuals and the information contained in the Manuals. You must provide us with immediate notice if you learn of any unauthorized use of the Manuals or of the information contained in the Manuals, or any infringement or challenge to the proprietary or confidentiality of the information contained in the Manuals. We will take any and all action(s) or, refrain from taking action, that we determine, in our discretion, to be appropriate. We may control any action or legal proceeding we choose to bring. We need not participate in your defense or indemnify you for damages or expenses in a proceeding involving a copyright or patent. If any third party establishes to our satisfaction, in our discretion, that it possesses rights superior to ours, then you must modify or discontinue your use of these materials in accordance with our written instructions.
ITEM 15 OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE FRANCHISE BUSINESS
The Franchise Agreement requires that you or, if you are a Corporate Entity, your designated managing shareholder, member or partner (your "Managing Owner") be personally responsible for the management and overall supervision of your Shop. Your Managing Owner must complete, to our satisfaction, our initial training program and be approved by us. While we recommend that your Managing Owner personally participate in the day-to-day management and on-site supervision and operations of your Shop, you may hire an operating manager to supervise and manage the day-to-day on-site operations of your Shop provided that your operating manager: (a) meets all of our minimum standards and criteria for managers; (b) completes our initial training program; and (c) signs our confidentiality agreements (an "Operating Manager"). At all times, your Shop must be managed and supervised on-site by either a Managing Owner or Operating Manager. If you own and operate multiple Shops then each Shop must be managed and supervised on-site by an Operating Manager.
You and, if you are a Corporate Entity, each of your members, shareholders and/or partners (collectively, "Owners"), must personally guarantee all of your obligations to us under the Franchise Agreement. Each Owner and the spouse of each Owner must personally guarantee your obligations to us under the Franchise Agreement. You and each Owner and spouse must also promise in writing that, among other things, during the term of the Franchise Agreement you will not participate in any business that in any way competes with the Franchised Business, and that for 24 months after the expiration of termination of the Franchise Agreement (with said period being tolled during any periods of non-compliance), neither you nor your Owners and their spouses will participate in any competitive business located within and/or servicing customers located within your Designated Territory and a 25 mile radius surrounding your Designated Territory. Further you will not participate in any competitive business located within and/or servicing customers located within a 10 mile radius of any other Bang Cookies Shop and/or the designated territory of any other Bang Cookies Shop. Your managers and all other employees and agents with access to our confidential information will be required by us to sign a confidentiality agreement.
ITEM 16 RESTRICTIONS ON PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SOLD
You may only sell the Approved Services and Products as specified in the Manuals or otherwise approved by us in writing and may only sell the products and services required by us. We can change the products and services that you must offer, which may include a requirement to participate in fundraising or nonprofit events and programs ("Fundraisers"). If required, Fundraisers may be subject to our standards and specifications or program parameters, such as pricing, as specified in the Manuals from time to time. We reserve the right to designate ourselves as an approved supplier in which we may receive revenue. If you purchase a Bakery Location, we reserve the right to require you to act as a designated supplier for Satellite Locations in your Territory, which may be subject to our standards and specifications or program parameters, such as pricing, as specified in the Manuals from time to time. There is no limitation on our right to change the products and services offered sold by Bang Cookies Shops. You are not limited to whom you may sell products and services of your Bang Cookies Shop, provided you do so exclusively from your Shop Location and as otherwise required by and in compliance with the standards we determine for the System.
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ITEM 17 RENEWAL, TERMINATION, TRANSFER AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
The Franchise Relationship Under a Single Unit Franchise Agreement
THE FRANCHISE RELATIONSHIP
This table lists certain important provisions of the franchise and related agreements. You should read these provisions in the agreements attached to this Disclosure Document.
| s. Modification of the agreement | 18.L. | Requires writing signed by you and us, except for unilateral changes that we may make to the Manuals or our unilateral reduction of the scope of a restrictive covenant that we may make in our discretion. |
Source: Item 17 — RENEWAL, TERMINATION, TRANSFER AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION (FDD pages 42–49)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
The 2024 Bang Cookies Franchise Disclosure Document states that modifications to the franchise agreement require a written agreement signed by both the franchisee and Bang Cookies. This requirement for written modification suggests that any termination agreement, including one for termination without cause, would also need to be in writing to be valid, unless otherwise dictated by governing law.
This requirement protects both Bang Cookies and the franchisee by ensuring that all modifications are clearly documented and agreed upon. It minimizes the potential for misunderstandings or disputes regarding the terms of the termination. Without a written agreement, either party could later claim that they did not agree to the termination terms, leading to legal complications.
However, it is important to note that this requirement for written modification may be subject to certain exceptions. Bang Cookies can unilaterally make changes to the manuals or unilaterally reduce the scope of a restrictive covenant in their discretion. While the FDD specifies that modifications to the agreement require a writing signed by both parties, it does not explicitly address whether a written agreement is required for termination without cause. A prospective franchisee should seek clarification from Bang Cookies on this specific point to fully understand the termination process and requirements.