Does Stretch Zone permit franchisees to register any domain name using the Intellectual Property?
Stretch_Zone Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- (c) Sole Business Name. You will use our Principal Trademark as the sole service mark identification for your Franchise Business and will display prominently our Principal Trademark on and/or with all materials that we designate and authorize and in a manner that we specify.
- (e) Fictitious Name. You cannot use the Stretch Zone trade name as part of your legal business name. You must comply in filing and maintaining any required fictitious, trade or assumed name registrations for the "Stretch Zone" trade name for example, John Jones d/b/a "Stretch Zone" or ABC, Inc. d/b/a "Stretch Zone," and will sign all documents that we or our counsel deem reasonably necessary to obtain protection for the trademarks and our interest in the trademarks.
Source: Item 8 — Receipts. Any sale made must be in compliance with § 683(8) of the Franchise Sale Act (N.Y. Gen. Bus. L. § 680 et seq.), which describes the time period a Franchise Disclosure Document (offering prospectus) must be provided to a prospective franchisee before a sale may be made. New York law requires a franchisor to provide the Franchise Disclosure Document at the earliest of the first personal meeting or ten (10) business days before the execution of the franchise or other agreement or the payment of any consideration that relates to the franchise relationship. (FDD pages 99–263)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
Based on the 2025 Stretch Zone FDD, franchisees are restricted in how they can use the company's intellectual property. While the document does not explicitly address domain name registration, it does state that franchisees cannot use the Stretch Zone trade name as part of their legal business name. Franchisees must comply with filing and maintaining any required fictitious, trade, or assumed name registrations for the "Stretch Zone" trade name. For example, John Jones d/b/a "Stretch Zone" or ABC, Inc. d/b/a "Stretch Zone," and will sign all documents that we or our counsel deem reasonably necessary to obtain protection for the trademarks and our interest in the trademarks."
Additionally, franchisees must use Stretch Zone's Principal Trademark as the sole service mark identification for their Franchise Business and prominently display it on all authorized materials in a specified manner. Franchisees also need to get approval for all local advertising materials, and all materials containing the Intellectual Property must include the applicable designation - service marksm, trademark™, registered® or copyright© , or any other designation Stretch Zone specifies.
Given these restrictions, it is unlikely that Stretch Zone franchisees would be permitted to register domain names using Stretch Zone's intellectual property without express permission. A prospective franchisee should seek clarification from Stretch Zone regarding domain name registration and usage to ensure compliance with their brand standards and protect the company's intellectual property.