After termination of the Buff City Soap agreement, what must a franchisee do with the System and Confidential Information?
Buff_City_Soap Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- (c) System and Manuals.
Franchisee will immediately cease to use the System and Confidential Information in any business or otherwise; and return to Franchisor all Confidential Information, including without limitation, copies of the Manuals and any other proprietary or confidential materials that Franchisor has loaned to Franchisee.
- (d) Disassociation in Communication Methods.
Franchisee will assign to Franchisor (or its designee) or cancel any electronic mail address, domain name, search engine, website, or Social Media account that associates Franchisee with Franchisor, the Makery, System, or Marks.
Franchisee will notify the telephone company and all telephone directory publishers of the expiration or termination of Franchisee's right to use any telephone, telecopy, or other numbers and any telephone directory listings associated with any Mark, authorize the transfer of such numbers and directory listings to Franchisor, or, at Franchisor's direction, instruct the telephone company to forward all calls made to Franchisee's telephone numbers to numbers Franchisor specifies.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 69–186)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Buff City Soap's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, following the termination of the Franchise Agreement, a franchisee must immediately cease using the Buff City Soap System and Confidential Information in any business. This means the franchisee can no longer operate their business using Buff City Soap's methods, branding, or proprietary knowledge.
Furthermore, the franchisee is required to return all Confidential Information to Buff City Soap. This includes, but is not limited to, copies of the Manuals and any other proprietary or confidential materials that Buff City Soap has provided to the franchisee during the term of the agreement. This ensures that all sensitive business information is returned to the franchisor, protecting their trade secrets and operational methods.
In addition to ceasing use and returning materials, the franchisee must also take steps to disassociate themselves from Buff City Soap in all communication methods. This includes assigning to Buff City Soap (or canceling) any electronic mail addresses, domain names, search engine listings, websites, or social media accounts that associate the franchisee with Buff City Soap, the Makery, the System, or the Marks. The franchisee must also notify the telephone company and directory publishers about the termination of their right to use any telephone numbers or listings associated with Buff City Soap, and authorize the transfer of those numbers and listings to Buff City Soap or forward calls as directed by Buff City Soap.