Does Cicis own any patents that are material to the franchise?
Cicis Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We do not own any patents that are material to the franchise. We do claim copyright protection and proprietary rights in the original materials used in the System, including our Manuals, recipes, bulletins, correspondence and communications with our franchisees, training, advertising and promotional materials, and other written materials relating to the operation of the Restaurants and the System.
You and your Owners and personnel may from time to time be provided with or otherwise be exposed to certain non-public information about the System and the operation of Cicis Restaurants, including your Cicis Restaurant (some, but not all of which may be "trade secrets" under applicable law), that we consider and protect as confidential (regardless of whether they are marked as such),
including the following (collectively, the "Confidential Information"): (i) growth and development plans, strategies, and forecasts related to the System; (ii) site selection criteria; (iii) initial or additional training and operations materials, including recipes and the Manuals; (iv) the System Standards and other methods, formats, specifications, standards, systems, procedures, techniques, market research, customer data, knowledge, and experience used in developing, promoting and operating the Restaurants; (v) knowledge of specifications for, and vendors of, assets and other products and supplies; (vi) any software or other technology which is proprietary to us, our affiliates, or the System, including digital passwords and identifications and any source code of, and data, reports, and other materials generated by, the software or other technology; (vii) data pertaining to customer of your Cicis Restaurant; and (viii) knowledge of the operating results and financial performance of your Cicis Restaurant.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 42–43)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Cicis Franchise Disclosure Document, Cicis does not own any patents that are material to the franchise. However, Cicis claims copyright protection and proprietary rights in the original materials used in their system. These materials include manuals, recipes, bulletins, correspondence and communications with franchisees, training, advertising and promotional materials, and other written materials related to restaurant operations.
Cicis also considers certain non-public information about the system and the operation of Cicis Restaurants as confidential. This confidential information includes growth and development plans, site selection criteria, training and operations materials, system standards, methods, formats, specifications, procedures, techniques, market research, customer data, knowledge, experience, vendor information, proprietary software or technology, customer data, and operating results and financial performance of the franchisee's Cicis Restaurant.
As a franchisee, you and your personnel may be exposed to this confidential information and are obligated to protect it, regardless of whether it is explicitly marked as confidential. This obligation helps Cicis maintain the integrity and competitive advantage of its system. Cicis grants franchisees a license to operate under their trademarks, such as "CICIS" or "CICIS PIZZA", but the Development Agreement does not give any rights to operate under the Marks.