Under what conditions can an Epcon Communities franchisee distribute the franchisor's copyrighted documentation to a third party?

According to the 2025 Epcon Communities Franchise Disclosure Document, an Epcon Communities franchisee is prohibited from distributing the franchisor's copyrighted documentation or the Epcon Communities Works to a third party, unless explicitly allowed within the Franchise Agreement or with specific written authorization from Epcon Communities. This restriction is a critical condition of the franchisee's license to use the Epcon Communities Works. Any unauthorized use of these works constitutes copyright infringement.

This policy protects Epcon Communities' intellectual property and ensures that its proprietary materials are not disseminated without its control. This is a fairly standard practice in franchising, as franchisors need to protect their brand standards and operating systems.

For a prospective franchisee, this means they must be extremely careful about how they handle any documents, software, or other materials provided by Epcon Communities. They cannot share these with contractors, consultants, or anyone else without express permission. Violating this provision could lead to legal action and termination of the franchise agreement. It would be prudent for a potential franchisee to clarify the scope of permitted use and distribution during the due diligence process to avoid any misunderstandings.