What is a Crepe De Licious franchisee required to do before using any improvements they develop for the System?
Crepe_De_Licious Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You shall fully disclose the Improvements to us, without disclosure of the Improvements to others, and shall obtain our written approval prior to using such Improvements.
Any such Improvement may be used by us and all other Crepe de licious franchisees without any obligation to you for royalties or other fees.
We may, at our discretion, apply for and own copyrights, patents, trade names, trademarks and service marks relating to any such Improvement and you shall cooperate with us in securing such rights.
We may also consider such Improvements as our property and trade secrets.
In return, we shall authorize Franchisee to utilize any Improvement that may be developed by other franchisees and is authorized generally for use by other franchisees.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD page 57)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Crepe De Licious FDD, if a franchisee develops any improvements to the Crepe De Licious system, they must first fully disclose these improvements to the franchisor without disclosing them to anyone else. Prior to using these improvements in their own Crepe De Licious franchise, they must obtain written approval from the franchisor.
This means that while franchisees may innovate and create improvements, Crepe De Licious retains control over those innovations. The franchisee cannot implement their own improvements without the franchisor's express permission. This requirement ensures that all changes to the Crepe De Licious system are standardized and align with the brand's overall strategy and quality standards.
Crepe De Licious, at its discretion, may apply for and own copyrights, patents, trade names, trademarks, and service marks related to any improvement developed by a franchisee. The franchisee is obligated to cooperate with Crepe De Licious in securing these rights. Crepe De Licious may also consider these improvements as their property and trade secrets. In return, the franchisee will be authorized to use any improvement developed by other franchisees that is generally authorized for use by other franchisees.