Who is responsible for maintaining the website created for the City Publications Franchised Business?
City_Publications Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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- We have established and maintain an Internet website at www.citypublication.com that provides information about the CITY PUBLICATIONS System and the services that you and we provide. We will establish a website for your Franchised Business with a link to our website. You are responsible for maintaining the website created for your Franchised Business. We may (but are not required to) include an interior page at our website about your Franchised Business. If we include information about your Franchised Business on our website, we may require you to prepare all or a portion of the page at your expense using our template. We review and approve all information you prepare prior to posting it. We retain the sole right to market on the Internet, including all use of websites, domain names, URL's linking, meta-tags, marketing, auction sites, e-commerce and co-branding arrangements. You may be required to provide content for our Internet marketing. You must follow our intranet and Internet usage rules, policies and requirements. We retain the sole right to use the Marks on the Internet, including on websites, as domain names, directory addresses, search terms, meta-tags, and in connection with linking, marketing, digital marketing, social
media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any co-branding and other arrangements. We retain the sole right to approve any linking or other use of our website. You may not establish a presence on, or market using, the Internet for the Franchised Business unless you first obtain our consent. If we approve your independent website, we may require that your site may only be accessed through our home page. (Section 11.D)
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 19–24)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to City Publications' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, while City Publications will design and create a website for the franchised business, the franchisee is ultimately responsible for maintaining it. City Publications also maintains a main website, www.citypublication.com, providing information about the City Publications system.
This means that a prospective City Publications franchisee should be prepared to handle the ongoing upkeep of their individual franchise website. This includes ensuring the content is current, the site is functioning properly, and any necessary updates are made. While City Publications may offer assistance or require the franchisee to prepare content for their own page on the main website, the primary responsibility for the franchised business's website rests with the franchisee.
City Publications retains the sole right to market on the Internet, including all use of websites, domain names, URLs, linking, meta-tags, marketing, auction sites, e-commerce, and co-branding arrangements. The franchisee must follow City Publications' intranet and Internet usage rules, policies, and requirements. City Publications also retains the sole right to use the Marks on the Internet, including on websites, as domain names, directory addresses, search terms, meta-tags, and in connection with linking, marketing, digital marketing, and social media platforms.
A franchisee may not establish a presence on, or market using, the Internet for the Franchised Business unless they first obtain City Publications' consent. If City Publications approves an independent website, it may require that the site only be accessed through their home page. This highlights the importance of understanding and adhering to City Publications' internet usage policies and maintaining open communication with them regarding online marketing efforts.