Under the Cicis Franchise Agreement, what primary trademarks are franchisees licensed to operate under?
Cicis Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
The Development Agreement does not give you any rights to operate under the Marks. Under the Franchise Agreement, we grant you a license to operate a Cicis Restaurant under the primary trademark "CICIS" or "CICIS PIZZA" and to use any Marks we authorize.
Source: Item 13 — TRADEMARKS (FDD pages 41–42)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Cicis's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are granted a license to operate a Cicis restaurant under the primary trademarks "CICIS" or "CICIS PIZZA." This license is granted under the Franchise Agreement, whereas the Development Agreement does not provide any rights to operate under these marks. Cicis also authorizes the use of any other marks they approve. Several "CICIS" marks are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). These include registrations for "CICI'S" dating back to September 1, 1992 (Registration Number 1,712,523) and January 28, 2003 (Registration Number 2,680,694), as well as registrations for "CICIS" from November 1, 2016, and multiple dates in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
It is important to note that while Cicis has trademark registrations for the circular symbol and the word "CICIS," they do not have a federal registration for the specific mark shown on the cover page of the FDD, which combines the circular symbol, the word "CICIS," and the word "pizza." This means that this particular trademark does not have as many legal protections as a federally registered trademark. If Cicis's right to use this specific mark is challenged, franchisees may be required to switch to an alternative trademark, which could increase their expenses.
Cicis retains the right to substitute different trade names, service marks, trademarks, and indicia of origin for the Marks if the Marks can no longer be used, or if Cicis determines, in its sole discretion, that the substitution will be beneficial to the System. Franchisees will be responsible for all expenses related to the substitution of different Marks. Franchisees must also notify Cicis immediately of any infringement of the Marks or any challenge to their use and must follow Cicis's instructions for identifying themselves as a franchisee and for filing and maintaining the requisite trade name or fictitious name registrations.