What types of materials does Carls own the copyright to?

According to Carls's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, Carls owns the copyright to a wide array of advertising and marketing materials. This includes images, copy, radio and television commercials, and social media posts. Additionally, Carls holds copyrights for the Operations Procedures Manual (OPM), certain forms, architectural, engineering, and construction plans, product specifications, computer programs, newsletters, training materials, and operations and accounting materials.

While Carls owns these copyrights, it is noted that they do not commonly register these materials with the United States Registrar of Copyrights. However, Carls retains the option to seek registration for these materials at any time. This means that while Carls asserts ownership through copyright, franchisees should be aware that the formal registration of these copyrights may or may not be in place.

For a prospective franchisee, this signifies that all marketing, operational, and training materials provided by Carls are protected. Franchisees must adhere to the approved materials and cannot create their own without infringing on Carls's copyright. This ensures brand consistency across all Carls locations and maintains the integrity of the Carls system. Franchisees should also be aware that they gain access to trade secret information that is confidential and proprietary to Carls, such as manuals, formulas, methods, Customer Information, vendor and pricing lists and policies.