Are the copyrights asserted by Gold Star registered?
Gold_Star Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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Item 14
Patents, Copyrights and Proprietary Information
Gold Star does not own any patents.
Gold Star asserts copyright protection for its Manual and other information and materials regarding Gold Star's System, which are not registered. You are not necessarily licensed to use these copyrights, but you are licensed to use the Manual and certain confidential information and materials during the term of the Franchise Agreement as part of the Confidential Material described in this Item 14.
There are no current determinations of the United States Copyright Office (Library of Congress) or any court regarding the copyrights, and there are no currently effective agreements that significantly limit the rights of Gold Star to use or license the use of the items for which copyright protection is asserted in any manner material to the Franchise.
Gold Star asserts trade secret protection for information contained in the Manual and other information about its chili products, recipes and formulations, the System and the Business (the "Confidential Material"), and pursuant to the Franchise Agreement you agree that the Confidential Material constitutes proprietary highly confidential trade secrets and that you will not use any of the Confidential Material except as necessary in the operation of the Franchise business in accordance with the Franchise Agreement.
Source: Item 14 — Patents, Copyrights, and Proprietary Information (FDD pages 40–41)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Gold Star FDD, Gold Star asserts copyright protection for its Manual and other information and materials regarding its System; however, these copyrights are not registered. While franchisees are not necessarily licensed to use these copyrights, they are licensed to use the Manual and certain confidential information and materials during the term of the Franchise Agreement.
Gold Star also states that there are no current determinations of the United States Copyright Office (Library of Congress) or any court regarding the copyrights, and there are no currently effective agreements that significantly limit the rights of Gold Star to use or license the use of the items for which copyright protection is asserted in any manner material to the Franchise.
Under the Franchise Agreement, franchisees agree not to contest the validity or enforceability of Gold Star's copyrights. If Gold Star requires a franchisee to modify or discontinue the use of any item included in the Manual or other Confidential Information, the franchisee must do so at their own expense.