Can a Cicis franchisee disclose the Manuals to their employees?

According to Cicis's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are permitted to disclose the Manuals to their employees under specific conditions. Cicis will provide access to its manuals applicable to the development and operation of Cicis Restaurants during the term of the agreement. These Manuals contain mandatory specifications, standards, operating procedures, and rules that Cicis periodically prescribes, as well as other suggested specifications, standards, and procedures.

However, the Manuals are considered part of Cicis's Confidential Information and must be protected against improper use and disclosure. Franchisees may disclose the Manuals to their employees who need to know its contents, provided that these employees are themselves bound by written obligations of confidentiality. This means that employees must sign a confidentiality agreement to protect the information from being shared or used improperly.

The franchisee is explicitly prohibited from copying, duplicating, recording, reproducing, distributing, or publishing any part of the Manuals, or using its contents in any other business. This ensures that the proprietary information contained within the Manuals remains exclusive to the Cicis franchise system and is not used for unauthorized purposes. The master copy of the Manuals maintained by Cicis is the controlling copy, meaning that in any dispute, Cicis's version will take precedence.