Does Engineering For Kids retain ownership of the Brand Excellence Manual?
Engineering_For_Kids Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We will furnish you with electronic access to our Brand Excellence Manual (the "Manual"), on loan, for as long as this Agreement or a successor agreement remains in effect. We reserve the right to furnish all or part of the Manual to you in electronic form or online and to establish terms of use for access to any restricted portion of our website. You acknowledge that we own the copyright in the Manual and that your copy of the Manual remains our property. You agree to treat the Manual, training materials, and any other manuals or materials created or approved by us for use with the System as secret and confidential. You agree not to copy, duplicate, record or otherwise reproduce the Manual or other materials provided by us, in whole or in part. In addition, you agree not to make any confidential information or materials supplied by us available to any unauthorized person. We have the right to amend and supplement the Manual from time to time, by any means, including without limitation, by letter, electronic mail, bulletin, software or other forms of communication. You agree to consult with the most current version or the Manual and, to the extent we provide a hardcopy of the Manual, to keep your copy of the Manual up-to-date, and to comply with each new or changed standard promptly upon receipt of notice from us. If a dispute develops relating to the contents of the Manual, the version of the Manual that we maintain will control.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 53–138)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Engineering For Kids' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Engineering For Kids retains ownership of the Brand Excellence Manual. The FDD states that Engineering For Kids will provide electronic access to the Brand Excellence Manual, but this access is on loan and only for as long as the Franchise Agreement is in effect.
The document explicitly states that Engineering For Kids owns the copyright to the Manual and that the franchisee's copy remains the property of Engineering For Kids. As a franchisee, you must treat the Manual, training materials, and any other materials approved by Engineering For Kids as confidential and not reproduce or distribute them to unauthorized individuals.
Engineering For Kids also has the right to amend and supplement the Manual at any time through various means of communication. Franchisees are obligated to consult the most current version of the Manual and comply with any new or changed standards promptly after receiving notice. In case of a dispute regarding the Manual's contents, the version maintained by Engineering For Kids will be the controlling version.
Upon termination or expiration of the Franchise Agreement, the franchisee is obligated to return the Manual and all training and marketing materials to Engineering For Kids. This underscores that the franchisee's right to use the Manual is contingent upon the active term of the agreement, and all materials remain the property of Engineering For Kids.