Does Counselor Realty own the copyright in other materials used in connection with the franchisee's office?
Counselor_Realty Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Although Counselor has not applied for federal copyright registration of the Franchise Policy Guidelines or its individual components, the information in the entire Franchise Policy Guidelines is proprietary and Counselor owns the copyright in the entire Franchise Policy Guidelines, and in various advertising and sales promotion materials, and customer convenience and other materials, used in connection with your Office.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD page 24)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 FDD, Counselor Realty owns the copyright to various materials used in connection with a franchisee's office. While Counselor Realty does not grant franchisees the right to use any items covered by a patent or copyright, they do permit the use of proprietary information found within the Franchise Policy Guidelines.
Although Counselor Realty has not applied for federal copyright registration of the Franchise Policy Guidelines or its individual components, the company asserts that the information contained within the guidelines is proprietary. Counselor Realty explicitly states that it owns the copyright to the entire Franchise Policy Guidelines.
In addition to the Franchise Policy Guidelines, Counselor Realty also claims ownership of the copyright in various advertising and sales promotion materials, as well as customer convenience materials and other materials used in connection with the franchisee's office. This means that franchisees must adhere to the guidelines and standards set by Counselor Realty when using these materials and cannot reproduce or distribute them without permission.