What warranty does a Southern Steer franchisee provide regarding copyrighted materials they create?
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.
Source: Item 22 — ITEM. 22 CONTRACTS (FDD pages 61–168)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Southern Steer Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee must promptly disclose to Southern Steer any changes, improvements, enhancements, advertisements or other marketing materials, inventions, discoveries, creations, patents, copyrights, trademarks, and confidential information relating to the franchisee's Southern Steer Business. This includes anything the franchisee or their owners, officers, employees, agents, Designated Managers, or independent contractors make solely, jointly, or commonly with others. The franchisee is required to promptly create a written record of these items, referred to as "Improvements".
Any changes, improvements, or enhancements made to the Southern Steer Business or its associated elements (Marks, System, Confidential Information, Trade Secrets, Brand Manual, Website, and other proprietary information) by the franchisee or their personnel, including copyrightable works, automatically become the property of Southern Steer. This transfer of ownership occurs without any additional compensation to the franchisee.
Essentially, the franchisee assigns all proprietary rights to these Improvements to Southern Steer without receiving any additional payment or consideration. This means that Southern Steer owns any copyrightable material, trademarks, or other intellectual property the franchisee develops related to the Southern Steer business. This is a standard practice in franchising to maintain brand consistency and protect the franchisor's intellectual property.