What constitutes copyright infringement by an Epcon Communities franchisee regarding the Epcon Communities Works?
Epcon_Communities Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Franchisee shall not build, license, transfer, reproduce or duplicate in any way the Epcon Communities Works or any derivative thereof except as expressly provided for in this Agreement.
In the event that any documentation provided to Franchisee by Franchisor bears a copyright notice or other copyright management information, Franchisee shall not remove such notice from said documentation, and such notice shall be retained or reproduced in its exact form on all authorized copies and versions of such documentation, both in machine and human readable language.
Franchisee shall not distribute Franchisor's copyrighted documentation or the Epcon Communities Works to a third party, except as provided for in the Agreement or otherwise with specific written authorization from Franchisor. Franchisee agrees that its strict compliance with these provisions is a condition precedent to its license to utilize the Epcon Communities Works, and as such any use of such works in violation of any of these provisions is unauthorized and will be acts of copyright infringement.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 86–280)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Epcon Communities' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee commits copyright infringement by using the Epcon Communities Works in any way that violates the franchise agreement's provisions. This includes actions such as building, licensing, transferring, reproducing, or duplicating the Epcon Communities Works or any derivative thereof, except as expressly allowed in the agreement.
Specifically, franchisees must not remove any copyright notices from documentation provided by Epcon Communities and must ensure that such notices are retained or reproduced on all authorized copies. Distribution of Epcon Communities' copyrighted documentation or the Epcon Communities Works to a third party is prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the agreement or with written authorization from Epcon Communities.
Strict compliance with these provisions is a condition of the franchisee's license to use the Epcon Communities Works. Any unauthorized use of these works is considered copyright infringement. This means that franchisees must be extremely careful to adhere to the guidelines and restrictions set forth in the franchise agreement to avoid potential legal repercussions.