Can the Dryer Vent Squad Brand Development Fund be used for advertising programs?

directed by Franchisor, in Franchisor's Reasonable Business Judgment, pay for media placements that may benefit or include any media market that includes Franchisee's Administrative Office or Operating Territory;

• (5) Franchisee agrees that the Brand Development Fund may be used to pay various costs and expenses of Franchisor for such reasonable salaries, wages, administrative costs and overhead as

Franchisor may incur in activities reasonably related to the administration, activities and/or the brand awareness goals of the Brand Development Fund including expenses incurred by Franchisor for advertising, marketing, product and service testing, product and service development, maintenance, evaluation and monitoring of the Business Management Systems, upgrades to the System Website, development of Digital Media and creative development that is internally administered or prepared by Franchisor and other marketing activities made by Franchisor, provided, however, that salary expenses for Franchisor's personnel paid by the Brand Development Fund shall be commensurate with the amount of that time spent by such personnel on Brand Development Fund matters. Franchisor shall not use contributions to the Brand Development Fund to defray any of Franchisor's general operating expenses, except for such reasonable salaries, administrative costs and overhead as Franchisor may incur in activities reasonably related to the administration and activities of the Brand Development Fund and creation or conduct of its marketing programs including, without limitation, conducting market research, preparing advertising and marketing materials and collecting and accounting for contributions to the Brand Development Fund. Franchisor may spend in a fiscal year an amount greater or less than the aggregate contributions of all Dryer Vent Squad Businesses to the Brand Development Fund in that year;

• (6) Franchisee agrees to participate in all advertising, marketing, promotions, research and public relations programs instituted by the Brand Development Fund;
• (7) Dryer Vent Squad Businesses owned by Franchisor or Franchisor's affiliates are not required to pay any Brand Development Fund Fee or contribute to or make any contribution to the Brand Development Fund;
• (8) Franchisee and Franchisor acknowledge and agree that (a) the Brand Development Fund is not a trust, (b) Franchisor is not a trustee or fiduciary of the Brand Development Fund, and (c) Franchisor may deposit and maintain any and all funds of the Brand Development Fund Fee in Franchisor's general accounts. Brand Development Fund Fees are not required to be segregated from other assets or accounts of Franchisor. The Brand Development Fund is not required to expend Brand Development Fund Fees in the year that they are collected and the Brand Development Fund may borrow from Franchisor or other lenders at standard commercial interest rates to cover deficits of the Brand Development Fund, and Franchisor may cause the Brand Development Fund to invest any surplus for future use by the Brand Development Fund. All interest earned on monies contributed to the Brand Development Fund will be used to pay costs of the Brand Development Fund before other assets of the Brand Development Fund are expended. A summary statement of monies collected and costs incurred by the Brand Development Fund for Franchisor's immediately preceding fiscal year shall be made available to Franchisee upon Franchisee's written request. Franchisor will have the right to cause the Brand Development Fund to be incorporated or operated through an entity separate from Franchisor at such time as Franchisor deems appropriate, and such successor entity shall have all rights and duties of Franchisor pursuant to this Article 9.A.;
• (9) Although Franchisor will endeavor to utilize the Brand Development Fund to develop advertising and marketing materials and programs, Franchisor undertakes no obligation to ensure that expenditures by the Brand Development Fund in or affecting any geographic area are proportionate or equivalent to the contributions to the Brand Development Fund by Dryer Vent Squad Businesses operating in that geographic area or that any Dryer Vent Squad Businesses will benefit directly or in proportion to its contribution to the Brand Development Fund from the development of advertising and marketing materials. Franchisor may use the Brand Development Fund to promote or benefit any type of Dryer Vent Squad Businesses in the System. Franchisor may use the Brand Development Fund to promote or benefit Dryer Vent Squad Businesses located

within a particular region of the United States.

Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 51–207)