Who controls any action involving Clean Your Dirty Face's copyrights?

According to the 2025 Clean Your Dirty Face FDD, Clean Your Dirty Face retains control over any action involving its copyrights, even if a franchisee brings the matter to their attention. This means that Clean Your Dirty Face has the sole discretion to decide whether to pursue legal action or other measures to protect its copyrighted materials.

This control extends to various copyrighted materials, including the Operations Manual (containing trade secrets), handbooks, Franchise System Websites, advertising and marketing materials, all or part of the Marks, and other portions of the Franchise System. While Clean Your Dirty Face does not have to defend its copyrights, it intends to do so if it determines that it is in the best interest of the Franchise System.

For a prospective franchisee, this means that while they are granted the right to use these copyrighted materials as specified by Clean Your Dirty Face, they have no independent authority to take action to protect those copyrights. Furthermore, Clean Your Dirty Face is not obligated to participate in a franchisee's defense or indemnify them for damages or expenses in a proceeding involving a copyright.

This arrangement is fairly typical in franchising, where the franchisor maintains control over intellectual property to ensure consistent brand management and quality control across all franchise locations. However, it also means that franchisees are dependent on Clean Your Dirty Face to actively protect the copyrights that are essential to their business operations.