What specific signage is a Dq Treat licensee required to remove after the termination of the agreement?
Dq_Treat Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
14.2 Stop Using Trademarks.
(A) Licensee must immediately stop using and displaying the Trademarks and any point-of-sale materials and other sales promotion and advertising materials furnished, made available or approved by Company, and must stop using Company's Confidential Information (including the Operations Manual). Licensee must immediately return to Company all copies of the Operations Manual and any other Confidential Information in Licensee's possession or control, or previously disseminated to Licensee's employees.
(B) Subject to section 14.5, Licensee must, within 20 days, at Licensee's expense, remove or obliterate all Restaurant signage, displays, photos and other materials in Licensee's possession at the Authorized Location or elsewhere that bear any of the Trademarks or names or material confusingly similar to the Trademarks. Licensee must also, within 20 days, alter the appearance of the Restaurant, including removal or substantial modification of any trade dress, so as to differentiate the Restaurant unmistakably from duly licensed restaurants and stores identified by the Trademarks.
(C) If Licensee does not comply with section 14.2(B) within 20 days, Company may enter the Authorized Location and remove all Restaurant signage, displays, photos or any other materials in Licensee's possession at the Authorized Location or elsewhere that bear any of the Trademarks or names or material confusingly similar to the Trademarks, and Licensee must reimburse Company for Company's costs incurred in connection with this removal.
(D) If, despite not being permitted to do so, Licensee owns or controls any domain name registrations in connection with the Restaurant or that include any of the Trademarks, Licensee agrees to promptly transfer ownership of such domain names to Company and execute any documents the domain name registry requires in connection with the transfer of these domain name registrations to Company.
Source: Item 17 — The following paragraph is added to the end of Item 17 of the Disclosure Document: (FDD pages 70–378)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Dq Treat FDD, upon termination or expiration of the franchise agreement, a licensee must remove or obliterate all restaurant signage, displays, photos, and other materials in their possession that bear any of the Dq Treat trademarks or names confusingly similar to those trademarks. This removal or obliteration must occur within 20 days of the agreement's termination or expiration and at the licensee's expense.
In addition to removing branded materials, the licensee must alter the appearance of the restaurant to differentiate it from other licensed Dq Treat locations. This includes removing or substantially modifying any trade dress to ensure the restaurant is unmistakably different from other Dq Treat establishments.
If the licensee fails to comply with these requirements within the 20-day period, Dq Treat has the right to enter the authorized location and remove the signage, displays, photos, and other materials. The licensee is then responsible for reimbursing Dq Treat for all costs incurred during the removal process. This provision ensures that Dq Treat maintains control over its brand and image, even after a franchise agreement has ended.
Furthermore, if the licensee owns or controls any domain names connected to the restaurant or that include any of the Dq Treat trademarks, they must promptly transfer ownership of those domain names to Dq Treat. This includes executing any documents required by the domain name registry to facilitate the transfer.