After termination or expiration of the Canopy Lawn Care franchise agreement, what representation is the franchisee prohibited from making?
Canopy_Lawn_Care Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
17.10 Franchisee agrees that upon termination or expiration of this Agreement, it shall take the following action:
(a) Immediately discontinue the use of all Marks, signs, structures, forms of advertising, telephone listings, facsimile numbers, e-mail addresses, the Manual, and all materials, Products and Services of any kind which are identified or associated with the System and return all these materials and Products to Franchisor;
(b) Immediately turn over to Franchisor all materials, including the Manual, customer lists, records, files, instructions, brochures, advertising materials, agreements, Confidential Information, Trade Secrets and any and all other materials provided by Franchisor to Franchisee or created by a third party for Franchisee relating to the operation of the Business (all of which are acknowledged to be Franchisor's property).
Under no circumstances shall Franchisee retain any printed or electronic copies of the Manual, Confidential Information or Trade Secrets or portions thereof upon expiration or termination of this Agreement;
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD page 55)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Canopy Lawn Care's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, upon termination or expiration of the franchise agreement, the franchisee must immediately discontinue using all Marks, signs, advertising, telephone listings, email addresses, and the Manual associated with the Canopy Lawn Care system. They must also return all these materials and products to Canopy Lawn Care.
Furthermore, the franchisee is required to turn over all materials, including the Manual, customer lists, records, files, instructions, brochures, advertising materials, agreements, confidential information, trade secrets, and any other materials related to the business operation, to Canopy Lawn Care. These materials are acknowledged to be the property of Canopy Lawn Care.
Importantly, the franchisee is prohibited from retaining any printed or electronic copies of the Manual, confidential information, or trade secrets after the agreement expires or is terminated. This ensures that the franchisee cannot use Canopy Lawn Care's proprietary information to compete with the franchisor or other franchisees after the agreement ends.