What is the Developer's Covenant Not to Compete in the Punch King Fitness Area Development Agreement?
Punch_King_Fitness Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
Developer specifically acknowledges that pursuant to this Agreement, Developer will receive valuable specialized training and confidential information, including, without limitation, information regarding the design, development, and operation of the Franchised Business, procedures and techniques of the Punch King Fitness Method, and sales, promotional, and marketing methods and techniques of Franchisor and the System. Developer covenants that during the term of this Agreement, except as otherwise approved in writing by Franchisor, Developer shall not, either directly or indirectly, for itself or through, on behalf of, or in conjunction with, any person, persons, partnership, or corporation:
1. divert or attempt to divert any business or client of the Franchised Business or of any other Developer of Franchisor to any competitor, by direct or indirect inducement or otherwise, or do or perform, directly or indirectly, any other act injurious or prejudicial to the goodwill associated with the Marks and the System; or
2. own, maintain, engage in, or have any interest in any business offering boxing and kickboxing or any other products or services that are offered in the Franchised Business unless otherwise consented to in writing by Franchisor.
B. Covenants after Termination of Franchise Agreement
Developer further covenants that, except as otherwise approved in writing by Franchisor, Developer shall not, directly or indirectly, for itself or through, on behalf of, or in conjunction with any person, persons, partnership, or corporation:
- 1. for a continuous and uninterrupted period commencing upon the expiration or termination of this Agreement (regardless of the cause for termination) and continuing for two (2) years thereafter, own, maintain, operate, engage in, or have any interest in any business offering boxing and kickboxing, or any other services that had been offered by the Franchised Business, within twenty-five (25) miles of any Punch King Fitness Franchised Business; or
- 2. for a continuous and uninterrupted period commencing upon the expiration or termination of this Agreement (regardless of the cause for termination) and continuing for two (2) years thereafter, directly or indirectly solicit or perform services for any person who was a client of the Franchised Business at any time during the term of this Agreement.
- 3. Developer and Franchisor agree that the covenants contained in this Section B shall survive the expiration, termination, or cancellation of this Agreement.
C. Exclusion for Publicly Traded Company
Developer's Covenant not to Compete in this Section shall not apply to the beneficial ownership by Developer of less than five percent (5%) of the outstanding equity securities of any corporation that is registered under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934.
D. Severability
The parties agree that each of the covenants in this Section shall be construed as independent of any other covenant or provision of this Agreement. If all or any portion of a covenant in this Section is held unreasonable or unenforceable by a court or agency having valid jurisdiction in an unappealed final decision to which Franchisor is a party, Developer expressly agrees to be bound by any lesser covenants subsumed within the terms of such covenant that imposes the maximum duty permitted by law, as if the resulting covenants were separately stated in and made a part of this Section.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 56–215)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to the 2024 Punch King Fitness Franchise Disclosure Document, the Developer's Covenant Not to Compete outlines restrictions both during and after the term of the Area Development Agreement. During the agreement, the developer cannot divert business from the Franchised Business or any other Punch King Fitness developer to a competitor, nor can they engage in any activity that harms the goodwill associated with the Punch King Fitness brand and system. Additionally, the developer is prohibited from owning, maintaining, engaging in, or having any interest in a business offering boxing and kickboxing or any other products or services offered in the Franchised Business, unless they obtain written consent from Punch King Fitness.
Post-termination, the developer is restricted for two years from owning, maintaining, operating, engaging in, or having any interest in a business offering boxing and kickboxing or any other services offered by the Franchised Business within 25 miles of any Punch King Fitness location. They are also prohibited from soliciting or performing services for anyone who was a client of the Franchised Business during the term of the agreement for a period of two years after termination. These covenants survive the expiration, termination, or cancellation of the Area Development Agreement.
However, the covenant not to compete does not apply if the developer has beneficial ownership of less than 5% of the outstanding equity securities of any corporation registered under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Each covenant within this section is considered independent, and if any part is deemed unenforceable, the developer agrees to be bound by the maximum duty permitted by law. This ensures that Punch King Fitness can protect its market and brand reputation, while also allowing for some flexibility for the developer in certain circumstances.