factual

Does the City Publications franchise agreement prohibit being employed in a sales capacity by a Competitive Business?

City_Publications Franchise · 2025 FDD

Answer from 2025 FDD Document

agers and the spouses of each of the foregoing sign a like restrictive covenant which shall protect both Franchisor and Franchisee. Said covenants shall remain on file at the offices of Franchisee and are subject to audit or review as otherwise set forth herein.

A. Restriction During Term of Agreement

Franchisee covenants that, except as otherwise approved in writing by Franchisor, neither Franchisee nor any partner(s), officer(s), director(s), member(s), executives, professional staff or sales staff or the spouses of any of the foregoing shall, during the term hereof, either directly or indirectly, for itself or through, on behalf of or in conjunction with, any person, persons, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or other entity:

    1. Own an interest in, manage, operate, be employed, in a sales or management capacity, by, or act as a consultant to any Competitive Business anywhere;
    1. Initiate any action to hire, or attempt to hire for any other employer, any person who is employed by Franchisor or employed by any other franchisee of the CITY PUBLICATIONS System, or induce any such person to leave his employment with Franchisor or any other franchisee in order to work for any other employer, whether or not the person's employment with the business is pursuant to a written agreement or is at will; or
    1. Divert business of customers of the Franchised Business or other Franchisor or franchisee-owned CITY PUBLICATIONS Businesses to any Competitive Business.

B. Restriction After Termination

Franchisee covenants that, except as otherwise approved in writing by Franchisor, neither Franchisee nor any partner(s), officer(s), director(s), member(s), executives, or professional staff or sales staff or their spouses of any of the foregoing shall for a period of two (2) years after the expiration or termination of this Agreement regardless of the cause, either directly or indirectly, for itself or through, on behalf of or in conjunction with, any person, persons, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or other entity:

    1. Own an interest in, manage, operate, be employed, in a sales or management capacity, by, or act as a consultant to any Competitive Business anywhere within the Exclusive Territory granted to Franchisee, or within a radius of twenty-five (25) miles of any other Franchisor or franchisee-owned CITY PUBLICATIONS Business;
    1. Initiate any action to hire, or attempt to hire for any other employer, any person who is employed by Franchisor or employed by any other franchisee of the CITY PUBLICATIONS System, or induce any such person to leave his employment with Franchisor or any other franchisee in order to work for any other employer, whether or not the person's employment with the business is pursuant to a written agreement or is at will; or
    1. Solicit business from customers of Franchisee's former CITY PUBLICATIONS business or other Franchisor or franchisee-owned CITY PUBLICATIONS Businesses.

C. Reasonableness of Restrictions

Franchisee acknowledges that the restrictive covenants contained in Section 17 are essential elements of this Agreement

and that without their inclusion, Franchisor would not have entered into this Agreement. Franchisee agrees that each of the terms set forth herein, including the restrictive covenants, is fair and reasonable, and are reasonably required for the protection of Franchisor and the Franchise System.

D. Remedies

As any breach by Franchisee of any of the covenants contained in this Section would result in irreparable injury to Franchisor, and as the damages arising out of any such breach would be difficult to ascertain, Franchisee agrees that, in addition to all other remedies provided by law or in equity, Franchisor, in the event of a breach or threatened breach of the covenants herein contained, shall be entitled to seek immediate equitable remedies including, but not limited to, restraining orders, preliminary and permanent injunctions in order to prevent Franchisee, its partners, members, officers, directors or employees from continuing to breach the covenants contained in this Section 17.

E. Severability

The foregoing covenants shall be construed as independent of any other covenant or provision of this Agreement. If all or any portion of a covenant in this Section 17. is held unreasonable, then this Section 17. is hereby amended to provide for limitations to the maximum extent provided and permitted by law.

SECTION 18. DEFAULT & TERMINATION

**A.

Source: Item 23 — RECEIPT (FDD pages 39–129)

What This Means (2025 FDD)

According to City Publications' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchise agreement addresses restrictions during the term of the agreement. Specifically, franchisees (including their partners, officers, directors, members, executives, professional staff, sales staff, and their spouses) are prohibited from being employed in a sales capacity by a Competitive Business during the term of the franchise agreement, unless they obtain written approval from City Publications. A "Competitive Business" is defined as any business that sells, or grants franchises or licenses to others to operate a business that sells, direct mail advertising or similar services to those offered as part of the City Publications System or in which Confidential Information could be used to the disadvantage of Franchisor or its other franchisees.

This restriction applies to direct or indirect involvement, whether for oneself or in conjunction with another entity. The restriction is not applicable to (a) any business operated by Franchisee under a Franchise Agreement with Franchisor, or (b) ownership for investment purposes of less than five percent (5%) of the stock of any publicly-traded corporation in which similar services as those offered as part of the System are sold only as an ancillary product, constituting less than ten percent (10%) of the aggregate gross sales of such business.

After the termination or expiration of the City Publications Franchise Agreement, a similar restriction applies for a period of two years. During this period, franchisees are prohibited from being employed in a sales or management capacity by a Competitive Business within the Exclusive Territory granted to the franchisee, or within a 25-mile radius of any other City Publications business. These restrictions are acknowledged by City Publications as essential for protecting the franchise system, and the franchisee agrees that they are fair and reasonable.

City Publications emphasizes the importance of these restrictions, stating that they are essential elements of the agreement. The FDD states that City Publications would not enter into the agreement without these inclusions. Breaching these covenants could result in irreparable injury to City Publications, entitling them to seek equitable remedies such as restraining orders and injunctions, in addition to other legal remedies.

Disclaimer: This information is extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document and is provided for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decisions.