factual

Which articles in the Casiola franchise agreement cover the franchisee's obligations related to trademarks and proprietary information?

Casiola Franchise · 2024 FDD

Answer from 2024 FDD Document

5.F. APPLICATION OF PAYMENTS

Franchisor has sole discretion to apply any payments received from Franchisee or to offset any indebtedness of Franchisor to Franchisee to any past due indebtedness of Franchisee for Royalty Fees, Advertising Contributions, purchases from Franchisor or its affiliates, interest or any other indebtedness of Franchisee to Franchisor or its affiliates.

5.G. WITHHOLDING PAYMENTS UNLAWFUL

Franchisee agrees that under no circumstance is Franchisee entitled to withhold payments due to Franchisor under this Agreement. Among other things and without limitation to the foregoing, Franchisee expressly agrees that any claim by Franchisee as to the alleged non-performance of Franchisor's obligations shall not permit and/or entitle Franchisee to withhold payments due Franchisor under this Agreement.

ARTICLE 6 RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS AND OBLIGATIONS

6.A. NECESSITY FOR RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS

Franchisee agrees that only through the course of entering into this Agreement is Franchisee being provided with access to the System, Franchisor's training, use of the Licensed Marks, and access to the Operations Manual and Confidential Information. Franchisee agrees that competition by Franchisee, Owners and/or their immediate family members will jeopardize the System and cause irreparable harm to Franchisor and franchisees of Casiola Businesses. Accordingly, Franchisee and Franchisee's Owners agree to comply with the restrictive covenants set forth in this Agreement, including this Article 6.

6.B. RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS: KNOW-HOW

Franchisee agrees that, at all times, both during the Term of this Agreement and, after its expiration or termination, Franchisee: (a) shall not use the Know-How in any business or capacity other than the operation of the Franchised Business pursuant to this Agreement and as instructed by Franchisor; (b) shall maintain the confidentiality of the Know-How at all times; (c) shall not make unauthorized copies of documents containing any Know-How; (d) shall take all reasonable steps that Franchisor requires from time to time to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of the Know-How; and (e) shall stop using the Know-How immediately upon the expiration, termination or Transfer of this Agreement. Franchisee agrees that the foregoing covenants shall also apply to: (a) Franchisee's Owners and that Franchisee's Owners shall each execute and deliver to Franchisor the Franchise Owner Agreement and Guaranty in the form attached

to this Agreement as Exhibit 1; and (b) Franchisee's directors, officers, employees and agents where disclosure of the Know-How was necessary for the operations of the Franchised Business and where such director, officer, employee and/or agent previously executed and timely delivered to Franchisor the Confidentiality Agreement in the form attached as Exhibit 2.

6.C. RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS: CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Franchisee agrees that, at all times, both during the Term of this Agreement and after its expiration or termination, Franchisee: (a) shall not use the Confidential Information in any business or capacity other than the Casiola Business operated by Franchisee; (b) shall maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information at all times; (c) shall not make unauthorized copies of documents containing any Confidential Information; (d) shall take such reasonable steps as Franchisor may ask of Franchisee from time to time to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of the Confidential Information; and (e) shall stop using the Confidential Information immediately upon the expiration, termination or Transfer of this Agreement. Franchisee agrees that the foregoing covenants and obligations shall also apply to: (a) Franchisee's Owners and that Franchisee's Owners shall each execute and deliver to Franchisor the Franchise Owner Agreement and Guaranty in the form attached to this Agreement as Exhibit 1; and (b) Franchisee's directors, officers, employees and agents where disclosure of the Confidential Information was necessary for the operations of the Franchised Business and where such director, officer, employee and/or agent previously executed and timely delivered to Franchisor the Confidentiality Agreement in the form attached as Exhibit 2.

6.D. RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS: UNFAIR COMPETITION AND IN-TERM NON-COMPETITION OBLIGATIONS

Franchisee agrees that during the Term of this Agreement, Franchisee shall not engage in the following activities (the "Prohibited Activities"): (a) owning and/or having any legal or equitable interest whether, as an individual proprietor, owner, partner, member or shareholder of a Corporate Entity, or, in any similar capacity, in a Competitive Business other than, owning an interest of 3% or less in a publicly traded company that is a Competitive Business; (b) operating, managing, funding and/or performing services whether, as an employee, officer, director, manager, consultant, representative, agent, and/or creditor or, in any similar capacity, for or benefitting a Competitive Business; (c) diverting or attempting to divert any business or customers from Franchisor or, one of Franchisor's affiliates or franchisees; (d) inducing any customer or client of Franchisor, Franchisor's affiliates, franchisees of the System, or, of Franchisee, to any other person or business that is not a Casiola Business; and/or (e) engaging in any actions, inactions, and/or activities in violation of Articles 6.B. and/or 6.C. of this Agreement (all, individually and collectively, referred to as the "Prohibited Activities"). Franchisee agrees that if Franchisee were to engage in the Prohibited Activities that such actions would be unfair, would constitute unfair competition and would cause harm to Franchisor, the System and other Casiola Business franchisees. Franchisee agrees that the foregoing covenants and obligations shall also apply to Franchisee's Owners and that Franchisee's Owners shall each execute and deliver to Franchisor the Franchise Owner Agreement and Guaranty in the form attached to this Agreement as Exhibit 1.

6.E. RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS: UNFAIR COMPETITION AND POST-TERMINATION NON-COMPETITION OBLIGATIONS

Franchisee agrees that during the Post-Term Restricted Period, Franchisee shall not engage in any Prohibited Activities provided, however, that the Prohibited Activities relating to Franchisee having an interest in a Competitive Business will only apply with respect to a Competitive Business that is located within a Restricted Territory. If Franchisee is engaged in any Prohibited Activities during the Post-Term Restricted Period, Franchisee agrees that Franchisee's Post-Term Restricted Period will be extended by the period of time during which Franchisee was engaging in the Prohibited Activity and, any such extension of time will not be construed as a waiver of Franchisee's breach or otherwise impair any of Franchisor's rights or remedies relating to Franchisee's breach. Franchisee agrees that the foregoing covenants and restrictions shall also apply to Franchisee's Owners and that Franchisee's Owners shall each execute and deliver to

Franchisor the Franchise Owner Agreement and Guaranty in the form attached to this Agreement as Exhibit 1. Franchisee agrees that the covenants and restrictions set forth in this Article 6.E. and otherwise in this Article 6, are fair and reasonable and that if Franchisee engaged in any Prohibited Activity that such actions would constitute acts of unfair competition, causing irreparable harm to Franchisor and the System.

6.F. REASONABLENESS OF RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS AND OBLIGATIONS

Franchisee agrees that: (a) the terms of this Article 6 are reasonable both in time and in scope of geographic area; and (b) Franchisee has sufficient resources and business experience and opportunities to earn an adequate living while complying with the terms of this Article 6.

Source: Item 9 — FRANCHISEE'S OBLIGATIONS (FDD page 24)

What This Means (2024 FDD)

According to the 2024 Casiola Franchise Disclosure Document, Article 6 and Article 11 address the franchisee's obligations regarding trademarks and proprietary information. Specifically, Article 6.A acknowledges that franchisees gain access to the Casiola system, training, Licensed Marks, Operations Manual, and Confidential Information through the franchise agreement. It emphasizes that any competition from the franchisee or their immediate family members would harm the Casiola system and its franchisees. Article 6.B requires franchisees to protect Casiola's Know-How, which includes trade secrets and proprietary information, both during and after the term of the agreement. This includes maintaining confidentiality, preventing unauthorized copies, and ceasing use upon termination. Article 6.C further restricts franchisees from using Confidential Information outside of their Casiola business and mandates reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized disclosure. Article 6.H states that customer lists and related information are Confidential Information and assets of Casiola. Franchisees must disclose any related ideas or concepts to Casiola, assigning ownership to Casiola without any obligation for payment.

Article 11.F reinforces that customer lists are Confidential Information and assets of Casiola, regardless of who supplied the information. Franchisees are obligated to disclose and assign to Casiola any ideas or concepts they develop related to the Casiola business, without any expectation of payment. These provisions collectively ensure that Casiola retains control over its proprietary information and Licensed Marks, protecting its competitive advantage and brand identity.

For a prospective Casiola franchisee, these articles mean they must be extremely careful in how they handle Casiola's confidential information and trademarks. They cannot use this information for any business other than their Casiola franchise, and they must take steps to prevent unauthorized disclosure. Furthermore, any improvements or innovations they develop related to the Casiola business become the property of Casiola. This is a fairly standard practice in franchising, as it protects the franchisor's intellectual property and ensures consistency across the system. However, franchisees should be aware of these obligations and ensure they have a clear understanding of what constitutes confidential information and how they are expected to protect it.

Disclaimer: This information is extracted from the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document and is provided for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decisions.