To whom can a City Wide franchisee divulge confidential information and trade secrets?
City_Wide Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You will divulge confidential information and trade secrets only to those of your employees as they must have access to it in order to operate the Franchised Business. Any and all information, knowledge and know-how, including, specifications and materials concerning commercial janitorial services, commercial janitorial supplies, carpet cleaning, window washing, construction clean-up, blind cleaning, hard surface floor care, pest control, upholstery cleaning, concrete coatings, and other commercial services concepts,
and the CITY WIDE System, systems and activities, and other data which CITY WIDE designates as confidential shall be deemed confidential for purposes of the Franchise Agreement.
CITY WIDE is entitled to immediate equitable remedies, including restraining orders and injunctive relief, in order to safeguard the proprietary, confidential, unique, and special information of CITY WIDE. All of your employees having access to the confidential and proprietary information of CITY WIDE shall sign a confidentiality agreement in a form acceptable to CITY WIDE.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 42–43)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to City Wide's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee can only share confidential information and trade secrets with their employees who need access to it in order to operate the franchised business. This means a City Wide franchisee must limit the circle of people who are privy to sensitive business information.
City Wide considers a wide array of information confidential, including specifications and materials related to commercial janitorial services, supplies, carpet cleaning, window washing, construction clean-up, blind cleaning, floor care, pest control, upholstery cleaning, concrete coatings, and other commercial services. The City Wide system itself, along with its activities, is also deemed confidential.
To further protect this information, City Wide requires franchisees to ensure that all employees who have access to confidential information sign a confidentiality agreement. This agreement must be in a form acceptable to City Wide, reinforcing the franchisor's control over how its trade secrets are handled within the franchisee's business. This is a common practice in franchising to protect the brand's proprietary information and maintain a competitive advantage.