What is a potential Clear Pest Pros franchisee prohibited from doing with the confidential information?
Clear_Pest_Pros Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
During the term of this Agreement, you will receive information which Franchisor considers a trade secret and confidential information ("Confidential Information"). You will not, during the term of this Agreement or thereafter, communicate, divulge, or use for the benefit of any other person, partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company any Confidential Information including, without limitation, operating procedures, customer lists, sources of supply, supplier contracts, advertising materials, copyrighted materials, equipment specifications, any information contained in the Operations Manual, trade secrets, copyrighted materials, and other methods, techniques and know-how concerning the operation of the Franchised Business which
may be communicated to you or of which you may be apprised by virtue of your relationship with Franchisee and role as a Guarantor of the Franchise Agreement.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 67–68)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Clear Pest Pros's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are restricted in how they handle confidential information both during and after the franchise agreement. During the agreement, a franchisee cannot communicate, divulge, or use confidential information for the benefit of any other entity. This includes operating procedures, customer lists, supply sources, advertising materials, copyrighted materials, equipment specifications, information in the Operations Manual, trade secrets, and other know-how related to the Clear Pest Pros business.
Specifically, franchisees acknowledge they only have the right to use the confidential information disclosed to them for operating their Clear Pest Pros business during the term of the agreement. Using or duplicating this information in any other business is considered unfair competition. Franchisees must maintain absolute confidentiality, avoid unauthorized copies, and implement procedures to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure, including restrictions on employee access.
Upon expiration or termination of the agreement, franchisees must immediately stop using all confidential information, including software, and return all copies of the Operations Manual and other confidential materials without retaining any copies. This ensures that the Clear Pest Pros's proprietary information remains protected and that former franchisees do not use it to compete against the brand. These measures are typical in franchising to protect the franchisor's competitive advantage and brand integrity.