A franchisor's ability to set renewal terms can bind franchisees to terms in a later franchise agreement before the renewal agreement even exists. In a recent case, a franchisor could enforce a hypothetical non-compete restriction in a renewal agreement, even though it waived the restriction in the currently-effective franchise agreement.

James Robinson, a veterinary hospital franchisee, also ran other veterinary clinics not affiliated with the franchise. The franchise agreement's non-compete provision would have prohibited operating the independent locations. But the franchisor chose not to enforce it. On expiration of the franchise agreement, the franchisor notified the franchisee of its intent to enforce the covenant in the renewal agreement.

The franchisee refused to divest the independent locations. No renewal agreement was signed. The franchisee sued for breach of the franchise agreement, covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and interference with economic relations - all based on the absence of any renewal.

A federal district court dismissed the complaint, and the Ninth Circuit affirmed. The courts said plain language of the franchise agreement's renewal provision allowed the franchisor to condition renewal on compliance with a different non-compete provision than the current agreement.

One may ask - how could a franchisee be bound by a future non-compete provision, in a future agreement, when the covenant in the present contract was not enforced? The courts were satisfied that the existing agreement's renewal provision explicitly said the renewal agreement would be "substantially similar to the then-current form of the franchise agreement." The Ninth Circuit ruled, based on this clause, that the renewal agreement would have a similar non-compete provision.

The courts ruled that the franchisor's waiver of the non-compete provision in the franchise agreement did not extend to the renewal agreement, nor was there a promise to never enforce a non-compete provision in the future. Dismissal of the interference claim was upheld because conduct between business competitors is proper if it is to further the defendant's own business interests. The franchisee alleged only that the franchisor's act of not renewing him was "done to make a profit," which was not wrongful.

See: Robinson v. Charter Practices International