Can a Best In Class Education Center franchisee develop their own website bearing the Best In Class Education Center marks?
Best_In_Class_Education_Center Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We maintain a corporate website to promote our brand. We will also create and host a local webpage to promote your Center, which will be linked to our corporate website. We can modify or discontinue our website and/or your Center's webpage at any time
Under current policy, you may not: (a) develop, host, or otherwise maintain a website (or other digital presence) bearing our Marks; (b) utilize the Internet to conduct digital or online advertising without prior authorization; or (c) engage in ecommerce. However, we do permit you to market your Center through approved social media channels, subject to the following requirements:
- you may only conduct social media utilizing social media platforms we approve
- you must strictly comply with our social media policy, as revised from time to time
- you must immediately remove any post we disapprove
- we may require that you contract with and utilize a social media company we designate
- you must provide us with full administrator rights to your social media accounts
- we must retain ownership of all social media accounts relating to your Center
Our current social media policy is attached to this Disclosure Document as EXHIBIT "H"-5. You must sign a copy to acknowledge your agreement to its terms. We may include our social media policy in the Manual and you must comply with the most current version (we are not required to have you sign a new or amended agreement acknowledging your agreement to it terms).
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 24–32)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Best In Class Education Center FDD, franchisees are generally prohibited from creating and maintaining their own websites that use the Best In Class Education Center marks. The franchisor maintains a corporate website and will create and host a local webpage for each franchisee's center, linking it to the corporate site. Best In Class Education Center retains the right to modify or discontinue the corporate website and individual center webpages at any time.
Under the current policy, franchisees are not allowed to develop, host, or maintain a website bearing the company's marks, use the internet for digital advertising without prior authorization, or engage in e-commerce. However, franchisees can market their center through approved social media channels, provided they use platforms approved by Best In Class Education Center and strictly adhere to the company's social media policy, which may be revised periodically.
Best In Class Education Center requires full administrator rights to all franchisee social media accounts and retains ownership of these accounts. Franchisees must also immediately remove any post that Best In Class Education Center disapproves and may be required to contract with a social media company designated by the franchisor. Franchisees must sign an agreement acknowledging their compliance with the social media policy, which is included as an exhibit to the FDD and may also be incorporated into the franchise operations manual.