What must a Gold Star franchisee do regarding System Standards that apply to Privacy Laws?
Gold_Star Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- 10.5 Privacy Laws.
In addition to FRANCHISEE's obligations under Section 5.13, FRANCHISEE will comply with all applicable Privacy Laws (as defined below), comply with all System Standards that apply to Privacy Laws, and refrain from any act or omission that could cause the COMPANY to breach any Privacy Laws (as defined below) with respect to the Communication and Information System or otherwise.
For the purpose of this Agreement, "Personal Information" shall mean any information that can be used (alone or in combination with other information which one controls) to identify, locate or contact an individual or otherwise pertains in any way to an identified or identifiable individual, regardless of the medium of such information, and "Privacy Laws" shall mean any international, national, federal, provincial, state or local law, code, rule or regulation that regulates the processing of Personal Information in any way, including data protection laws, laws regulating marketing or communications and/or electronic communications, information security regulations and security breach notification laws.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 53–163)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Gold Star's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees must adhere to System Standards related to Privacy Laws. Specifically, franchisees must comply with all applicable Privacy Laws, comply with all System Standards that apply to Privacy Laws, and refrain from any action that could cause Gold Star to breach any Privacy Laws with respect to the Communication and Information System or otherwise. The FDD defines "Personal Information" as any data that can identify an individual, and "Privacy Laws" as any regulation governing the processing of Personal Information.
This means that a Gold Star franchisee is responsible for understanding and following all relevant privacy laws at the international, national, federal, state, and local levels. This includes laws related to data protection, marketing, electronic communications, information security, and security breach notifications. Franchisees must also adhere to any specific System Standards that Gold Star implements regarding these laws.
The franchisee must ensure that their actions do not cause Gold Star to violate any privacy laws, especially concerning the Communication and Information System. This places a significant responsibility on the franchisee to stay informed about changing privacy regulations and to implement appropriate measures to protect personal information. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in legal consequences and damage to Gold Star's reputation.