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Is Franchising Doomed?
Strategies for Negotiating with a Franchisee and Franchisor
Before committing to a franchise business, consider...
A federal court in New Jersey recently granted a franchisor’s motion for a preliminary injunction, enjoining the former franchisee from using the franchisor’s marks and violating the franchise agreement’s noncompete clause,...more
Welcome to the second edition of The Leisure Law Insider! It will be released quarterly, covering the latest news and developments in leisure and hospitality law, regulation, and policy. Expect content on hotels, franchising,...more
Are you a small business owner who has considered franchising your business? Franchising can be a great way to expand your company's physical presence, grow your revenue, and increase your brand recognition....more
A Minnesota federal court denied cookie dough franchisor Cookie Dough Bliss Franchising’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against a former Minnesota franchisee and its owners....more
A gym franchisor recently secured a preliminary injunction against its former franchisee prohibiting the franchisee from operating an independent gym on the same location and using the franchisor’s trade secrets. Chris...more
A trademark license may seem straightforward. It is an arrangement that gives a licensee the right to use the licensor’s mark in some manner for some amount of time, with the licensor exercising quality control over the goods...more
A federal bankruptcy court in Delaware has dismissed time-barred claims that a Chapter 7 Trustee alleged on behalf of a bankrupt franchisor, AVF Franchising, LLC, against several of its franchisees. In re Start Man Furniture,...more
A federal court in Oklahoma granted franchisor Pizza Inn, Inc.’s motion for preliminary injunction preventing two former Pizza Inn franchisees – Odetallah and Allen’s Dynamic Food – from operating competing pizza restaurants...more
On December 6, 2022, at the Asociacion Interamericana de law Propiedad Intelectual (Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI)) 23rd Work Sessions and Administrative Council meeting in Medellin, Colombia,...more
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion concerning a dispute over a franchisor’s effort to mandate changes to a franchisee’s operations. The Court granted the franchisor a mixed result. The decision...more
From multinational corporations to franchises to non-profits, there is a lot that goes into building your brand and a positive brand association among consumers. As a company looks to growth strategies, it will consider...more
On April 14, Kilpatrick Townsend’s Brand Licensing and Franchise Partner Marc Lieberstein joined Jason Adler, General Counsel at Cellairis, a global franchisor in the wireless accessory and repair retail space, Janaki J....more
Illinois Federal Court Excludes Plaintiffs’ Expert Testimony on Certification Motion in Anti-Poaching Class Action - A federal court in Illinois granted Jimmy John’s motion to exclude expert testimony of a putative class...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM. Below are summaries of recent legal developments of interest to franchisors. Fifth Circuit Reverses Trial Court’s Excusal of Area Representative’s Tardy Renewal Notice -...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM, formerly known as The GPMemorandum. Periodically, The Franchise Memorandum focuses on topics primarily of interest to companies that use distributors and dealers rather than...more
A federal court in Tennessee held a Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken former franchisee in contempt for failure to deidentify its restaurant after entry of a temporary restraining order and consent to a permanent injunction. ...more
In a decision of first impression issued last week, the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee held, in Gus’s Franchisor, LLC v. Terrapin Restaurant Partners, LLC, that the COVID-19 pandemic did...more
A Florida federal court granted a preliminary injunction against a terminated franchisee. The court enjoined the ex-franchisee from using the franchisor’s trademarks and trade dress. The court enforced the franchisor’s...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM, formerly known as The GPMemorandum. Since December 1997, The GPMemorandum has been presenting summaries of recent legal developments of interest to franchisors and companies...more
Under California law, a business relationship is a “franchise” if: (1) the business will be substantially associated with the franchisor’s trademark; (2) the franchisee will directly or indirectly pay a fee to the franchisor...more
When business owners contemplate expansion and growth of their business enterprise and brand, they must first make a fundamental decision on strategy and method of expansion. Should they (a) expand on their own, utilizing...more
A United States District Court (Northern District California) (“Court”)addressed in a January 3rd Order a retail motor fuel franchisee’s request for a preliminary injunction against an oil company’s termination of its...more
Among the things that are the most exciting about being an intellectual property practitioner working in the hospitality industry are the variety and wide breadth of legal issues that need to be addressed. We are...more
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware recently issued an opinion discussing the tension between using bankruptcy as a legitimate tool to maximize value versus using bankruptcy merely as a litigation...more
Though an individual owner and operator of a formerly franchised Church's Chicken restaurant in Texas was not a signer of the franchise agreement, a district court ruled the individual was subject to the agreement's...more