Can Carls Jr. designate the form and content of a franchisee's website?
Carls_Jr Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You may not use our Proprietary Marks in any Internet domain name or e-mail address, in the operation of any Internet web site or on a social media platform including any social networking site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat, Vine, blogs, podcasts and wikis or other future social media platforms and/or technological avenues (collectively, "Social Media"; not an exclusive list and term applies to any social networking website, mobile application, blog or microblog, public and private message boards, comment sections, etc.) without our prior written consent. We may grant or withhold our consent in our sole discretion and may condition our consent on such requirements as we deem appropriate, including, among other things, that you obtain our written approval of: (A) any and all Internet domain names and home page addresses related to the Franchised Restaurant; (B) the proposed form and content of any web site related to the Franchised Restaurant; (C) your use of any hyperlinks or other links; (D) your use of any materials (including text, video clips, photographs, images and sound bites) in which any third party has an ownership interest; and (E) any proposed modification of your web site. We may designate the form and content of your web site and/or require that any such web site be hosted by us or a third party whom we designate, using one or more web sites that we own and/or control. We may charge you a fee for developing, reviewing and approving your web site and/or for hosting the web site. We have established a Social Media policy for all franchisees, and you must comply with the policy, as modified from time to time, and any additional policies that we issue. Any copyright in your sites or pages on any Social Media are owned by us, and you must sign any documents that we reasonably deem necessary to affirm our ownership of the copyright.
Source: Item 13 — TRADEMARKS (FDD pages 56–58)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Carls Jr.'s 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees must obtain prior written consent from Carls Jr. to operate any internet website related to the franchised restaurant. Carls Jr. has the right to grant or withhold consent at its sole discretion and may require written approval of all internet domain names and home page addresses, the proposed form and content of any website, the use of hyperlinks, and any proposed modification of the website.
Carls Jr. may designate the form and content of a franchisee's website and/or require that the website be hosted by Carls Jr. or a third party designated by them, utilizing websites that Carls Jr. owns or controls. Carls Jr. may charge a fee for developing, reviewing, and approving the franchisee's website, as well as for hosting the website.
Carls Jr. has established a Social Media policy that all franchisees must comply with, which may be modified from time to time. Any copyright in the franchisee's sites or pages on any Social Media are owned by Carls Jr., and the franchisee must sign any documents that Carls Jr. deems necessary to affirm their ownership of the copyright. This level of control over a franchisee's online presence is common in franchising, as it allows the franchisor to maintain brand consistency and quality control across all locations.