16 CFR Parts 436 and 437. Rule Summary. The Franchise Rule gives prospective purchasers of franchises the material information they need in order to weigh the risks and benefits of such an investment.
If the franchisor does not limit the territory where each franchisee can sell, the franchisor and other franchisees may compete with you for the same customers by establishing their own outlets or selling through the internet, catalogs or telemarketing.
Operating Costs These include expenses such as employee salaries, utilities, and maintenance. As a franchisee, you'll need to manage these expenses closely – keeping labor costs in check, for instance, can greatly affect your franchise's profitability.
A protected territory ensures that the franchisor will not open another franchise or sell a franchise territory within a specific area around the franchisee's location.
Ice cream franchises can be profitable for business owners depending on the market, customer demographics, and competition present in the area.
The California courts have consistently held that this law means what it says – that non-compete provisions are not enforceable. The only exceptions are where the provision is in a contract for the sale of a business or the sale or dissolution of a partnership or limited liability company.
In a franchise agreement, a non-competition restriction is a type of a “restrictive covenant”. It aims to prevent a franchisee from setting up, operating or being otherwise involved in a business that is in competition with the franchise.
Two common examples of unfair competition are trademark infringement and misappropriation. The right to publicity is often invoked in misappropriation issues. Other practices that fall into the area of unfair competition include: False advertising.
The law describes “unfair competition” as any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice, or false, deceptive, or misleading advertising.
(a) Any person who engages, has engaged, or proposes to engage in unfair competition shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) for each violation, which shall be assessed and recovered in a civil action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by ...