What happens to the Confidential Information when a Dog Haus Franchise Agreement expires or terminates?
Dog_Haus Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
npremises and off-premises consumption under the trade name and service mark "Dog Haus" and other related trademarks, service marks, logos and commercial symbols, and the trade dress used to identify Dog Haus Restaurants, including the unique and distinctive interior and exterior building designs, color schemes, furniture, fixtures and accessories present in Dog Haus Restaurants (collectively, the "Dog Haus Marks").
- B. The Dog Haus System includes, without limitation, the operations and training manuals and any other written directives related to the Dog Haus System (the "Manuals"), the operating methods and business practices related to Dog Haus Restaurants, the relationship between Franchisor and its franchisees, interior and exterior Dog Haus Restaurant design, other items of trade dress, specifications for equipment, fixtures and uniforms, defined product offerings, recipes and preparation methods, Franchisor specified pricing and promotions, restrictions on ownership, standard operating and administrative procedures, management and technical training programs, marketing and public relations programs, and Franchisor's website (collectively, the "Confidential Information"), all of which may be modified by Franchisor from time to time and may be disclosed to Recipient by Franchisee.
- C. Franchisor has and continues to protect the confidentiality of the Confidential Information by, among other things, (i) not revealing the confidential contents of the Confidential Information to unauthorized parties; (ii) requiring Dog Haus franchisees to acknowledge and agree in writing that the Confidential Information is confidential; (iii) requiring Dog Haus franchisees to agree in writing to maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information; (iv) monitoring electronic access to the Confidential Information by the use of passwords and other restrictions so that electronic access to the Confidential Information is limited to authorized parties; and (v) requiring its franchisees to return all Confidential Information to Franchisor upon the expiration and termination of their Franchise Agreements.
- D.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 87–328)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Dog Haus's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, upon termination or expiration of the Franchise Agreement, franchisees are required to return all Confidential Information to Dog Haus. This includes manuals and any other records, files, and instructions containing confidential information that are in the franchisee's possession, as these items are considered the property of Dog Haus.
Dog Haus takes measures to protect the confidentiality of its Confidential Information by not revealing confidential content to unauthorized parties, requiring franchisees to acknowledge and agree in writing that the Confidential Information is confidential, requiring franchisees to agree in writing to maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information, monitoring electronic access to the Confidential Information by the use of passwords and other restrictions so that electronic access to the Confidential Information is limited to authorized parties, and requiring its franchisees to return all Confidential Information to Franchisor upon the expiration and termination of their Franchise Agreements.
Furthermore, franchisees must ensure that their employees and independent contractors who have access to Confidential Information also agree in writing to maintain its confidentiality, both during their employment or engagement and indefinitely after it ends. This obligation extends to not using the Confidential Information for any purpose other than their work for the franchisee and not disclosing it to unauthorized parties. This highlights the importance Dog Haus places on protecting its proprietary information and trade secrets, even after the franchise relationship ends.