As a Flowerama franchisee, am I permitted to modify the BloomNet Technologies software under the terms of the license?
Flowerama Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
To the extent BloomNet Technologies delivers any software to you, BloomNet Technologies grants to you a non-exclusive, limited, revocable, limited license to use such software to connect to the System via the Customer's computer system. This license is subject to the restriction that, except where expressly permitted by law, you may not, or permit others to, translate, reverse-engineer or reverse-compile or decompile, disassemble or make derivative works from, any such software. You may not, or permit others to, modify such software or use it in any way not expressly authorized in this Agreement. This license will terminate upon the termination of this Agreement.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 77–300)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to Flowerama's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, as a franchisee, you are not permitted to modify the BloomNet Technologies software. The license granted to you is non-exclusive, limited, and revocable, allowing you to use the software to connect to the system. However, this license strictly prohibits any modifications to the software.
The FDD states that franchisees cannot translate, reverse-engineer, reverse-compile, decompile, disassemble, or create derivative works from the software, except where expressly permitted by law. Any use of the software must be expressly authorized within the agreement. This ensures the integrity and standardization of the BloomNet Technologies system across all Flowerama franchise locations.
This restriction is typical in franchising, as it protects the franchisor's intellectual property and ensures consistency in operations across the franchise network. Unauthorized modifications could lead to system malfunctions, security vulnerabilities, and inconsistencies in service delivery, which could negatively impact the Flowerama brand. Franchisees must adhere to the terms of the software license to maintain compliance with the franchise agreement.