Does Lees Famous Recipe claim copyright ownership for its written training materials?
Lees_Famous_Recipe Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
There are no patents or copyrights currently registered or pending patent applications that are material to the franchise. We do claim copyright ownership and protection for the Operations Manual as well as our recipes, advertising copy and design, menu designs, written training materials, training videos and for certain other written materials we provide to assist you in operating your Restaurant.
The manuals, product preparation materials, and related materials are confidential, proprietary and our property. You must keep them confidential during and after the term of the Franchise Agreement. You may not use our confidential and proprietary information in any unauthorized manner and must take reasonable steps to prevent its disclosure to others, except to your employees who need to know such information. You may disclose this information to your employees, but only if they have signed an employee nondisclosure agreement and to the extent necessary to operate your business, and then only while your Franchise Agreement is in effect. You must comply with all changes to the Operations Manual at your cost. Upon termination of your Franchise Agreement, you must return all confidential and proprietary information, including the Operations Manual, product preparation materials and related material.
Source: Item 14 — PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION (FDD pages 52–53)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Lees Famous Recipe's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the company claims copyright ownership and protection for its written training materials. Lees Famous Recipe also asserts copyright ownership for the Operations Manual, recipes, advertising copy and design, menu designs, and training videos. The FDD specifies that these manuals, product preparation materials, and related items are confidential and proprietary to Lees Famous Recipe.
As a franchisee, you must maintain the confidentiality of these materials both during and after the term of the Franchise Agreement. Unauthorized use of this confidential and proprietary information is prohibited, and you are required to take reasonable steps to prevent its disclosure to others, except to your employees who need to know the information to operate the business.
Franchisees can disclose this information to their employees, but only if the employees have signed an employee nondisclosure agreement and only to the extent necessary to operate the business while the Franchise Agreement is in effect. Upon termination of the Franchise Agreement, franchisees must return all confidential and proprietary information, including the Operations Manual, product preparation materials, and related materials, to Lees Famous Recipe.