For Canine Dimensions, is an employee prohibited from interfering with the Franchisor's consultants after termination?
Canine_Dimensions Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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- Employee hereby agrees that at all times, both during Employee's employment and after the termination thereof (for whatever reason, and whether voluntary or not), Employee will maintain the secrecy and confidentiality of the Confidential Information and that he will not reveal, disclose, divulge or make known to any person or entity, or copy or use for his own account, any of the Confidential Information as defined above.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD page 36)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Canine Dimensions' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, an employee is prohibited from disclosing confidential information both during and after their employment. The agreement specifies that the employee must maintain the secrecy of confidential information and not reveal it to any person or entity, or copy or use it for their own account. This obligation extends beyond the termination of employment, regardless of the reason for termination. Confidential information includes items such as price lists, marketing plans, software, customer lists, information in the Confidential Manual, processes, and supplier information.
This clause protects Canine Dimensions' proprietary information and trade secrets, preventing former employees from using this knowledge to compete against the company or share it with competitors. For a franchisee, this means that their employees are legally bound to protect the franchisor's confidential information, even after they leave their employment. This helps maintain the integrity of the Canine Dimensions system and protects the franchisee's investment by preventing unfair competition based on insider knowledge.
However, the FDD excerpt does not explicitly address whether a former employee is prohibited from interfering with the franchisor's consultants. While the confidentiality agreement prevents them from disclosing sensitive information, it does not directly state that they cannot interact with or attempt to influence the franchisor's consultants. A prospective franchisee should seek clarification from Canine Dimensions regarding specific restrictions on former employees' interactions with consultants to fully understand the scope of these limitations.