Almost everyone recognizes the nation's most prominent franchises: McDonald's, Domino's, Hilton or 7-Eleven, to name a few. And business people are becoming aware that arrangements that look like franchises, but are characterized by parties as something else, may still be franchises under U.S. laws. Examples include a successful restaurant that brings in investors to own new locations, or a plumbing or lock-and-key service that lets its best employees start their own branches. These deals may be or become accidental franchises.

The Federal Trade Commission's definition of a franchise may be summarized as a business relationship, no matter what it is called, in which: 

1. One party will grant another the right to operate a business or sell goods or services, identified or associated with originator's trademark;
2. There will be significant control or assistance from the trademark owner; and
3. The operator must pay money to the trademark owner.

It is easy to see how these elements could all be present in the relationships described above. When the elements are present, the franchisor must prepare an extensive "Franchise Disclosure Document" and allow a 14-day cooling-off period before entering into any agreement with a franchisee. The franchisor cannot unilaterally change or terminate or not renew franchise agreements. In 13 states, registration is required before an agreement may be entered into. Violations can mean civil and criminal penalties.

Considering the wide scope of the FTC or state law definitions, the elements can be found in relationships in unexpected fields. Who would think the Girl Scouts, an organization chartered by Congress, would be an illegal franchise? But a federal court ruled the elements were present between the Girl Scouts and one of its local councils, based largely on selling Girl Scout cookies and merchandise.

Commercial shopping centers often require tenants to join and pay money to a shopping center association for advertising. These associations promote members using the center's distinctive brand, organize promotional events, regulate when tenants can and cannot conduct special sales, mandate operating hours, and require tenant members to participate in gift-card and loyalty programs. Possibly, the elements of a franchise are present, meaning the shopping center landlord or its tenant association may be a franchisor.

In some industries, such as software development and pharmaceuticals, independent businesses form networks and consortiums to develop products and services. These organizations require members to make payments to fund operations and create, develop or obtain products for members to use, sell, or distribute. Often the organization adopts a distinctive name which members and re-sellers may use, or be required to use. This scenario could contain all the elements of a business franchise, requiring regulatory and other franchise law compliance.

Unexpected franchises occur in other business relationships, too. For example, a snack-foods distributor or route driver who must pay material fees to the manufacturer (e.g., to purchase a vehicle or for advertising, training, manuals or meetings), follow the manufacturer's policies and promote the brand, could be a regulated franchise. In one case, a California court found a foreign winemaker to be a franchisor because the vintner sold ancillary promotional items to its U.S. importer and assisted in customer sales calls.

Franchise laws are written in broad terms. Companies, and organizations, even nonprofits and consortiums, that develop and distribute products and services, whether through their own members or others who are recruited, should assess whether their arrangements may be franchises.