Does the Hck Hot Chicken franchisee have any ownership rights to the franchisor's website content?
Hck_Hot_Chicken Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Such web site(s) may also include one or more interior pages dedicated to the sale of franchises by Franchisor and/or relations with Franchisor's or its Affiliate's investors.
Franchisor may permit Franchisee to periodically select from Franchisor's designated alternative design elements for an interior page (or portion thereof) dedicated to the Franchised Restaurant.
Such designated alternative design elements may change from time to time.
Franchisor will implement any such designated design elements or changes promptly, subject to Franchisor's business needs and scheduling availability.
Franchisor may disable or terminate such website(s), in whole or in part, without Franchisor having any liability to Franchisee.
- 8.5.3 Franchisee acknowledges and agrees that Franchisor (or its Affiliate) is the owner of, and will retain all right, title and interest in and to (i) the www.hotchiknkitchn.com domain name and URL; all existing and future domain names, URLs, future addresses and subaddresses using the Marks in any manner; (ii) means all computer programs and computer code (e.g., HTML, XML DHTML, Java) used for or on the Franchisor's web site(s), excluding any software owned by third parties; (iii) all text, images, sounds, files, video, designs, animations, layout, color schemes, trade dress, concepts, methods, techniques, processes and data used in connection with, displayed on, or collected from or through Franchisor's web site(s); and (v) all intellectual property rights in or to any of the foregoing.
Source: Item 21 — FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (FDD page 54)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Hck Hot Chicken Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees do not acquire any ownership rights to the franchisor's website content. The FDD clearly states that Hck Hot Chicken (or its affiliate) retains all rights, title, and interest in the domain name www.hotchiknkitchn.com, all existing and future domain names and URLs using the Hck Hot Chicken marks, computer programs and code used for the website, and all content including text, images, sounds, video, designs, and data displayed on or collected through the website. This encompasses all intellectual property rights related to the website.
While Hck Hot Chicken may allow franchisees to select from designated alternative design elements for an interior page dedicated to their franchised restaurant, the franchisor retains control over these elements and may change them periodically. The franchisor is also responsible for implementing any design changes, subject to their business needs and scheduling availability. Furthermore, Hck Hot Chicken reserves the right to disable or terminate the website, in whole or in part, without incurring any liability to the franchisee.
This arrangement is typical in franchising, where the franchisor maintains strict control over its brand and online presence to ensure consistency and quality across all franchise locations. The franchisee's limited ability to customize a portion of the website does not grant them any ownership rights over the overall website or its content. Prospective franchisees should understand that their online presence will be largely controlled by Hck Hot Chicken, and they must adhere to the franchisor's standards and guidelines.