In relation to the Coffee News franchise, in what activities are franchisees permitted to use the Coffee News principal trademarks?
Coffee_News Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You may use the Coffee News principal trademarks in the promotion and publication of your editions of Coffee News. See Exhibit B for an example of the Coffee News logo, format, and content categories. Listed here are the specifics regarding these principal trademarks:
Coffee News Format
Size: 11" by 17" page size.
Coloring: Light brown coloring of paper.
Format: 2-sided printing with each page divided into 3 columns, with the 2
border columns each allowing for 8 advertisements arranged vertically and a center column allowing for the publication of
information.
Ad proportions: Equal sized, approximately 2 7/8" by 2" inches in a
rectangular rounded corner box with 1 open corner.
Coffee News Content Categories
Everybody's Talking! Quotable Quotes What's Happening Trivia Your Weekly Horoscope Did You Know... On the Lighter Side
Coffee News (words only) trademark is registered with the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as of November 18, 1997, trademark registration number 2,113,507. The Coffee News logo has been consistently, actually, and continuously used for at least 20 years in the U.S. and global wide and therefore is protectable under the applicable federal trademark laws and common laws.
Coffee News Periodical format as described above is protected as Coffee News trade dress under the trademark laws through its actual and continuous use over the years. The Coffee News Periodicals nationwide and global wide all have the exact same format in the past at least 24 years.
Nothing in the franchise agreement shall be construed as a grant to you of any right, or interest in the "Coffee News" name or format, since all rights are reserved by 2703203, Manitoba, Inc. and us except for this license to the "Coffee News" name and format only as expressly provided in the franchise agreement. Furthermore, nothing in the agreement shall be construed as an assignment or license to you of any right or interest in any trade names or symbols, service marks, signs, slogans, or insignia not designated by the agreement as licensed to you, which may be developed by us for use with other publishers. In signing the agreement, you recognize the great value of the goodwill associated with our name and format and you acknowledge that the goodwill belongs to us and 2703203, Manitoba, Inc. You also will agree that you will not, at any time attack the title or any rights of us or 2703203, Manitoba, Inc. to the "Coffee News" name or format or attack the validity of the license to use the name or format or do anything which would jeopardize or diminish our rights or the value or the name.
Source: Item 13 — Trademarks (FDD pages 22–24)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Coffee News Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are allowed to use Coffee News's principal trademarks for promoting and publishing their editions of Coffee News. The FDD specifies several aspects of the Coffee News format that are protected, including the 11" by 17" page size, the light brown coloring of the paper, and the two-sided printing format with each page divided into three columns. The two border columns each allow for 8 advertisements arranged vertically and a center column allowing for the publication of information. Ad proportions are equal sized, approximately 2 7/8" by 2" inches in a rectangular rounded corner box with 1 open corner. The Coffee News (words only) trademark is registered with the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as of November 18, 1997, trademark registration number 2,113,507. The Coffee News logo has been consistently, actually, and continuously used for at least 20 years in the U.S. and global wide and therefore is protectable under the applicable federal trademark laws and common laws.
The FDD also lists specific content categories that are part of the Coffee News trademark, including "Everybody's Talking!", "Quotable Quotes", "What's Happening", "Trivia", "Your Weekly Horoscope", "Did You Know...", and "On the Lighter Side".
It is important to note that franchisees' rights to use the Coffee News name and format are limited to what is expressly provided in the franchise agreement. Franchisees acknowledge the goodwill associated with the Coffee News name and format belongs to Coffee News and 2703203, Manitoba, Inc., and they cannot attack the title or rights to the name or format. They also cannot take actions that would jeopardize or diminish Coffee News's rights or the value of the name.