Does Goldfish Swim School have any patents material to the franchise?
Goldfish_Swim_School Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
No patents are material to the franchise. We own copyrights in the Confidential Brand Standards Manual, our swim lesson curriculum, our employee training manuals, our website, our marketing materials and other copyrightable items that are part of the System.
You may use these items only as we specify while operating the franchised swim school and you must stop using them if we direct you to do so.
We know of no effective determinations of the U.S. Copyright Office or any court regarding any of our copyrighted materials. Our right to use or license copyrighted items is not materially limited by any agreement or known infringing use.
We have developed certain trade secrets and other confidential information, including methods of business management, sales and promotion techniques, and know-how, knowledge of, and experience in, operating a Goldfish Swim School. We will provide our trade secrets and other confidential information to you during training, in the Confidential Brand Standards Manual and as a result of the assistance we furnish you during the term of the franchise. You may only use the trade secrets and other confidential information for the purpose of operating your franchised swim school. You may only divulge trade secrets and other confidential information to employees who must have access to it to operate the franchised swim school. You are responsible for enforcing the confidentiality provisions as to your employees.
Certain individuals with access to trade secrets or other confidential information, including your owners, shareholders, officers, directors, partners, members, if you are a corporation, limited liability company or other business entity, and your Designated Manager(s), on-site general manager if different from the Designated Manager, other managers of the Franchised Swim School, and executives are required to sign nondisclosure and non-competition agreements in a form the same as or similar to the Nondisclosure and Non-Competition Agreement attached to the Franchise Agreement. We will be a third-party beneficiary with the right to enforce those agreements. You must ensure that your employees with access to Confidential Information execute a Nondisclosure Agreement in the form similar to the form attached to the Franchise Agreement to prevent your employees from using or disclosing our Confidential Information after their employment terminates.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 51–52)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Goldfish Swim School FDD, no patents are material to the franchise. However, Goldfish Swim School does own copyrights to several items that are part of their system. These include the Confidential Brand Standards Manual, the swim lesson curriculum, employee training manuals, the website, and marketing materials.
As a franchisee, you are only allowed to use these copyrighted items as specified by Goldfish Swim School while operating your franchised swim school. If directed by Goldfish Swim School, you must stop using these items. The FDD states that there are no known effective determinations of the U.S. Copyright Office or any court regarding any of the copyrighted materials, and their right to use or license copyrighted items is not materially limited by any agreement or known infringing use.
Goldfish Swim School has also developed certain trade secrets and other confidential information, including methods of business management, sales and promotion techniques, and know-how related to operating a Goldfish Swim School. This information will be provided to you during training, in the Confidential Brand Standards Manual, and through ongoing assistance. You are only allowed to use these trade secrets and confidential information to operate your franchise and can only share it with employees who need access to it. You are responsible for ensuring your employees maintain confidentiality. Certain individuals, such as owners, managers, and executives, are required to sign non-disclosure and non-competition agreements.