What sections of the Coffee News Franchise Agreement address compliance with standards, policies, and the operating manual?
Coffee_News Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
quest approval of the use of the Franchise granted hereunder as collateral and/or the extension of the term of this Agreement by written request sent to address provided under paragraph 14.
- 8.15 Compliance with Coffee News Social Media Policies. Franchisee acknowledges and agrees to comply with Coffee News Social Media Policies that Coffee News adopted that may be amended from time to time. It is acknowledged that the franchisees are responsible for their own content posted or published through the social
media and are responsible for complying with all laws and regulations and third-party site terms and conditions. Coffee News will not have any liability for the Franchisee's use of social-media sites. Additionally, Coffee News does not have responsibility or obligation for monitoring Franchisee's compliance with such laws, regulations, and third-party terms and conditions. Any approval by Coffee News of the use of social media sites or monitoring thereof does not constitute a representation that the franchisees are in compliance with these laws, regulations or terms and conditions. The franchisees are responsible for monitoring their own employees, representatives, agents, etc. to ensure compliance with these requirements set forth in the Policies. A copy of the Coffee News Social Media Policy is attached hereto as Schedule D to this Agreement and all content of the Policy is incorporated as part of the Agreement.
9. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS.
9.1 Reservation of Rights. All rights in the Periodical other than those specifically granted herein by Franchisor to Franchisee are reserved by Franchisor for full use by it or its assignees, transferees or licensees.
10. TRAINING
Our training program is available in person and is required. All signatories, usually the business owners and the principal officers of the entity, to the agreement are required to complete the initial training program to our satisfactory. All existing franchisees may attend future initial training programs voluntarily.
- 10.1 Mentoring Program. Upon signing of this Agreement and receipt of the initial franchise fee payment, we provide all new publishers with the access to all necessary pre-opening training materials and our mentor training program.
- 10.2. In Person Training Program. Franchisor offers a two to three-day Coffee News College every 8-13 weeks for all new North American franchisees. The business owners and their principal officers of the entity are required to attend the initial training program. Such training consists of a two to three-day classroom program utilizing both veteran franchisees and corporate staff to provide a combination of lectures and hands-on involvement. There is also time allowed for networking between you and veteran franchisees during this period. The topics covered in the two to three-day training program include without limitation sales, advertisement design, billing, collections, distribution, marketing, and startup.
- 10.3. Expenses. The initial training program is at no additional cost to you.
Source: Item 9 — Franchisee's Obligations (FDD pages 15–16)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Coffee News Franchise Disclosure Document, several sections of the franchise agreement outline the franchisee's responsibilities regarding compliance. Specifically, Section 8.15 addresses compliance with Coffee News' Social Media Policies, stating that franchisees acknowledge and agree to comply with these policies, which may be amended from time to time. Schedule D to the agreement includes a copy of the Coffee News Social Media Policy, and its content is incorporated as part of the agreement. Franchisees are responsible for their own social media content and must comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and third-party terms and conditions. Coffee News assumes no liability for a franchisee's social media use and has no obligation to monitor compliance. Franchisees are also responsible for ensuring their employees, representatives, and agents comply with these policies.
Further, the Coffee News Social Media Policy itself details several compliance obligations. Franchisees must comply with all laws and regulations applicable to social media use, including prohibitions against defamation, harassment, infringement of intellectual property, discrimination, and misuse of proprietary information. All posts must be truthful and not misleading, and franchisees must adhere to guidelines when mentioning competitors. Franchisees are also restricted from using or posting confidential or proprietary information of Coffee News or commenting on legal or private matters internal to the Coffee News system. They must also comply with the 2012 FTC Endorsement Guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials, disclosing any compensated relationships.
Additionally, Section 7.2 of the Franchise Agreement, as referenced in Item 11, relates to the operations manual, which details the unique marketing and sales techniques employed in the design and format of the Periodical. Section 7.3, also referenced in Item 11, concerns the design of the periodical stand, which is disclosed in the operations manual. These sections indicate that franchisees are expected to adhere to the standards and procedures outlined in the operations manual, which covers various aspects of the Coffee News business, from advertising sales to periodical design and marketing.