What must the Engel & Volkers franchisee immediately transfer to the franchisor upon termination or expiration?
Engel_Volkers Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
half and at Franchisee's expense, sign all documents necessary to cause discontinuance of Franchisee's use of the name "ENGEL & VÖLKERS" or any other Trademark or any variant with respect to the franchised Business. Franchisee irrevocably appoints Franchisor as Franchisee's attorney-in-fact to do so;
- 21.1.4 immediately cease using any documents referring to the ENGEL & VÖLKERS System, e.g., advertising texts, advertising materials, printed matter and letterheads;
- 21.1.5 immediately remove all the typical visual features used by the ENGEL & VÖLKERS System for ENGEL & VÖLKERS offices and Residential Real Estate Brokerages;
- 21.1.6 immediately transfer all telephone and fax numbers belonging to the franchised Business and all e-mail accounts, Internet domain names, and social media accounts pertaining to the franchised Business (including, for example, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) including the words "engelvoelkers" and/or "volkers" and/or "voelkers" and/or "engel", "ev", "evrealestate", and/or any confusingly similar e-mail accounts, Internet domain names, and social media accounts, to Franchisor or to a third party nominated by Franchisor;
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD page 88)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Engel & Volkers' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, upon termination or expiration of the Franchise Agreement, the franchisee must immediately transfer several items to Engel & Volkers or a designated third party. These include all telephone and fax numbers associated with the franchised business, as well as all email accounts, Internet domain names, and social media accounts pertaining to the business. This encompasses accounts containing terms like "engelvoelkers", "volkers", "voelkers", "engel", "ev", and "evrealestate", or any confusingly similar variations.
This requirement ensures that Engel & Volkers maintains control over its brand identity and customer communications after a franchise agreement ends. By transferring these digital assets, the franchisee prevents potential misuse of the Engel & Volkers brand and avoids customer confusion. This is a standard practice in franchising, as it protects the franchisor's brand reputation and customer relationships.
In addition to digital assets, the franchisee is also obligated to return all copies of the System Documentation and all documents relating to the Engel & Volkers System and the properties covered by the Agreement and all other articles owned by Franchisor without delay, except that Franchisee may keep a copy of this Agreement, any correspondence between the parties, and any other documents required by Franchisee for fulfillment of its legal obligations, except for any System Documentation. This ensures that proprietary knowledge and resources are returned to Engel & Volkers, preventing unauthorized use or dissemination of confidential information.