What happens if Beggars Pizza violates the copyright laws related to the SpeedLine software?
Beggars_Pizza Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
OWNERSHIP: The Software is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. SpeedLine owns and will at all times retain exclusive ownership of all rights, title, and interests, including copyrights and all other intellectual property rights, in and to the Software, the Documentation, and any copies of the Software or Documentation. The Customer acquires only the right to use the Software for the term of this Agreement and does not acquire any rights of ownership in the Software. The Software is licensed, not sold.
COPIES: The Customer may make one (1) copy of the Installed Software for backup purposes. No other copies shall be made in any form or medium without prior written consent from the President of SpeedLine or other authorized personnel at SpeedLine designated by the President as having such authority ("authorized personnel"). You may not copy the Documentation accompanying the Software in any form or medium.
PERMITTED USES, RESTRICTED USES: The Customer may only use the Software for the intended purpose of a retail point-of-sale solution and related
solutions and as permitted by this Agreement. The Customer may not copy (except as provided in the "Copies" section above), reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, decrypt, modify, adapt, or translate the Software in any way, or merge the Software into any other computer program material, or re-write
the Software into any different computer program language. Use of the Software to test or improve a competing software package without prior written approval from authorized personnel at SpeedLine is a violation of this Agreement. The Customer may not (a) sell, rent, lease, license, transfer, lend or give away the Software; or (b) "frame" or "mirror" the Online Services.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPT (FDD pages 39–192)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Beggars Pizza's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the SpeedLine software is protected by copyright laws, and SpeedLine retains exclusive ownership of all rights, titles, and interests, including copyrights. The customer, in this case the Beggars Pizza franchisee, only acquires the right to use the software for the term of the agreement and does not gain any ownership rights. The software is licensed, not sold.
The agreement outlines specific permitted and restricted uses of the software. Beggars Pizza franchisees may only use the software for its intended purpose as a retail point-of-sale solution. They are prohibited from copying (except for one backup copy), reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling, decrypting, modifying, adapting, or translating the software in any way. Additionally, franchisees cannot merge the software into any other computer program material or rewrite it into a different computer program language. Using the software to test or improve a competing software package without prior written approval from SpeedLine is a violation of the agreement.
The agreement also states that Beggars Pizza franchisees cannot sell, rent, lease, license, transfer, lend, or give away the software, nor can they "frame" or "mirror" the online services. These restrictions are typical in franchise agreements to protect the franchisor's intellectual property and maintain control over the software's use and distribution.
While the FDD excerpt specifies what actions constitute a violation of the SpeedLine software agreement, it does not explicitly detail the consequences of such violations. A prospective Beggars Pizza franchisee should seek clarification from the franchisor regarding the specific penalties or remedies that SpeedLine may pursue in the event of a copyright infringement or breach of the software license agreement. This could include termination of the license, monetary damages, or legal action.