What is the geographic scope of the assignment of rights for copyrighted materials created by a Southern Steer franchisee?
Southern_Steer Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- 15.7.
Improvements.
Franchisee will promptly disclose to Franchisor any changes, improvements, enhancements, advertisements or other marketing materials, inventions, discoveries, creations, patents, copyrights, trademarks, and confidential information relating to Franchisee's Southern Steer Business which Franchisee or any of Franchisee's owners, officers, employees, agents, affiliates, Designated Managers, or independent contractors has made or may make solely, jointly, or commonly with others ("Improvements").
Franchisee will promptly create a written record of the same.
Any changes, improvements, or enhancements made to the Southern Steer Business or the Marks, System, Confidential Information, Trade Secrets, Brand Manual, Website and other proprietary information provided to Franchisee by Franchisor made by Franchisee or any of Franchisee's owners, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, Designated Managers or independent contractors or as the result of suggestions or other input from Franchisee or any of Franchisee's owners, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, Designated Managers or independent contractors including without limitation, all copyrightable works, will become part of the Marks, System, Confidential Information, Trade Secrets, Brand Manual, Website and Franchisor's proprietary information owned by Franchisor without any rights of ownership by Franchisee.
Franchisee hereby assigns all proprietary rights described in this Section 15.7 to Franchisor without additional consideration.
Franchisee will execute such additional assignments or documentation to effectuate the assignment of these rights or as Franchisor deems necessary to enable it, at its expense, to apply for, prosecute, and obtain copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other proprietary rights in the United States and in other countries.
Franchisee hereby irrevocably appoints Franchisor as Franchisee attorney-in-fact for the purpose of executing such documents.
Franchisor will have the right to make Improvements available for use by all Southern Steer franchisees.
Source: Item 22 — ITEM. 22 CONTRACTS (FDD pages 61–168)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Southern Steer's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, any improvements, enhancements, or changes made to the Southern Steer Business, Marks, System, Confidential Information, Trade Secrets, Brand Manual, Website, and other proprietary information provided to the franchisee by Southern Steer, including all copyrightable works, will become the property of Southern Steer. This applies without any ownership rights for the franchisee.
The franchisee is required to promptly disclose to Southern Steer any changes, improvements, enhancements, advertisements, marketing materials, inventions, discoveries, creations, patents, copyrights, trademarks, and confidential information related to the franchisee's Southern Steer Business. This includes anything made by the franchisee or their owners, officers, employees, agents, affiliates, Designated Managers, or independent contractors, whether made solely, jointly, or commonly with others. The franchisee must also promptly create a written record of these items.
The franchisee assigns all proprietary rights to Southern Steer without additional consideration. This assignment appears to have a global scope, as the franchisee must execute additional assignments or documentation to enable Southern Steer to apply for, prosecute, and obtain copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other proprietary rights in the United States and in other countries. Southern Steer has the right to make these improvements available for use by all Southern Steer franchisees.