Does the Cicis franchise agreement grant the franchisee any ownership interest in the Marks or copyrights?
Cicis Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
With respect to your use of the Marks licensed pursuant to this Agreement:
- (5) We or our affiliates are the lawful, rightful, and sole owner of the Internet domains named "www.cicispizza.com," "www.cicis.com," and any other Internet domain names we register, and you hereby unconditionally disclaim any ownership interest in those or any colorably similar Internet domain name.
You will not register any Internet domain name in any class or category that contains words used in or similar to any brand name we or our affiliates own or any abbreviation, acronym, phonetic variation, or visual variation of those words.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 64–65)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Cicis Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees do not acquire any ownership interest in the brand's trademarks or copyrights. Instead, Cicis grants franchisees a limited license to use its System, including the Marks, for the purpose of operating a Cicis Restaurant.
The franchise agreement specifies that Cicis or its affiliates retain ownership of internet domains such as www.cicispizza.com and www.cicis.com, and franchisees must disclaim any ownership interest in these or similar domain names. Franchisees are also prohibited from registering domain names that contain words similar to Cicis' brand names.
Furthermore, franchisees must identify themselves as independent owners and cannot use the Marks to incur obligations on behalf of Cicis. They are required to use the trade name assigned to their restaurant and comply with all laws related to trade name registrations, as well as execute documents necessary to protect the Marks. This ensures that Cicis maintains control over its brand identity and protects its intellectual property rights, while franchisees operate under a licensed agreement.