Does Cinnaholic register its copyrighted materials with the United States Registrar of Copyrights?
Cinnaholic Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
g uses that could materially affect your use of the Marks.
ITEM 14 PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
There are no patents or registered copyrights that are material to your CINNAHOLIC® franchise.
We claim common law rights and copyright protection in a number of items you will use in the operation of your Bakery, including our Operations Manual, and in certain other materials and information related to the CINNAHOLIC® franchise system, like our marketing materials, specifications, architectural drawings, Bakery designs, marketing techniques, advertising programs, advertising strategies, supplier lists, expansion plans, and other information we create or use. We have not registered any of these copyrighted materials with the United States Registrar of Copyrights, although we may do so. We also treat all of this information as trade secrets.
All materials or information of any kind that are designated "confidential" orally or in writing or which, under the circumstances surrounding disclosure, ought to be treated as confidential, are deemed confidential and are loaned to you only under and during the term of the Franchise Agreement and Development Agreement. All confidential materials and the information contained in them must be treated by you as confidential and you must use your best efforts to keep them confidential during and after the terms of the Franchise Agreement and Development Agreement as provided in each agreement.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 39–40)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Cinnaholic's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Cinnaholic has not registered any of its copyrighted materials with the United States Registrar of Copyrights, although it may do so in the future. These materials include the Operations Manual, marketing materials, specifications, architectural drawings, Bakery designs, marketing techniques, advertising programs, advertising strategies, supplier lists, and expansion plans. Cinnaholic does claim common law rights and copyright protection for these items.
For a prospective franchisee, this means that while Cinnaholic asserts ownership and protection over its key operational and marketing assets, these protections are currently based on common law rights rather than federal copyright registration. Common law rights arise automatically upon creation of the work, but federal registration offers additional legal benefits, such as the ability to sue for infringement and statutory damages.
Cinnaholic retains the exclusive right to control any copyright litigation and to keep all sums obtained in settlement or as a damages award. Franchisees must also promptly notify Cinnaholic of any unauthorized use of copyrighted materials or challenges to the ownership of these materials. Cinnaholic also has the right to modify any item in which it claims common law copyright or registered copyright protection, and franchisees must adopt these changes at their own expense.