What level of employees must have access restricted to the Deer Solution manuals?
Deer_Solution Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You must keep as confidential our Manuals and any supplements to the Manuals. Our Manuals may take the form of written materials and/or digitally distributed and stored materials and made available to you for use in connection with the Franchised Business. The Manuals contain information about our System, Approved Services and Products, System Supplies, proprietary products, marketing systems, training, and confidential methods of operation. You must use all reasonable and prudent means to maintain the Manuals and the information maintained in the Manuals as confidential and prevent any unauthorized copies, recordings, reproduction, or distribution of the Manuals or the information contained in the Manuals. You must restrict access to the Manuals to management level employees who sign a confidentiality agreement with you and are required by you to maintain the confidentiality of the Manuals and refrain from distributing or disclosing the Manuals and the information contained in the Manuals. You must provide us with immediate notice if you learn of any unauthorized use of the Manuals or of the information contained in the Manuals, or any infringement or challenge to the proprietary or confidentiality of the information contained in the Manuals. We will take any and all action(s) or, refrain from taking action, that we determine, in our discretion, to be appropriate. We may control any action or legal proceeding we choose to bring. We need not participate in your defense or indemnify you for damages or expenses in a proceeding involving a copyright or patent. If any third party establishes to our satisfaction, in our discretion, that it possesses rights superior to ours, then you must modify or discontinue your use of these materials in accordance with our written instructions.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD page 39)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Deer Solution's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, access to the franchise's manuals must be restricted to specific employees. These manuals, which may be in written or digital form, contain critical information about Deer Solution's system, approved services and products, system supplies, proprietary products, marketing systems, training, and confidential methods of operation.
To maintain confidentiality, Deer Solution requires franchisees to limit access to these manuals to management-level employees only. These employees must sign a confidentiality agreement, committing them to maintain the confidentiality of the manuals and the information within. They are also prohibited from distributing or disclosing the manuals or their contents.
Furthermore, the FDD stipulates that the franchisee must immediately notify Deer Solution if they become aware of any unauthorized use of the manuals or their information, or any infringement or challenge to the proprietary or confidential nature of the information. Deer Solution retains the discretion to take or refrain from taking any action it deems appropriate in response to such a breach. This includes controlling any legal proceedings related to the matter, without any obligation to defend or indemnify the franchisee in proceedings involving copyright or patent issues. If a third party demonstrates superior rights to the materials, the franchisee must modify or discontinue their use as instructed by Deer Solution.