Almost every year at the IFA Annual Legal Symposium in Washington D.C., a panel of distinguished franchise attorneys and state regulators will discuss best practices in drafting a franchise disclosure document in compliance with the FTC Franchise Rule. This year was no different and the workshop “Thorny FDD Disclosure Issues” offered
Will a GrubHub Restaurant Take Over a Neighborhood Near You?
Each year in Washington D.C., the IFA joins forces with the International Bar Association’s Franchising Committee (IBA) to hold the IBA/IFA Joint Conference immediately after the IFA Legal Symposium. This was my first year attending. As our international franchise practice grows, I found it a rewarding opportunity to educate myself about the latest issues facing
Are You Going to the International Franchise Expo This Week?
The International Franchise Expo (IFE) starts TODAY (May 31st) and runs through Saturday, June 2nd at the Javits Center in New York City. The IFE is one the largest franchise expo in the country. This is an opportunity for franchise systems to market their brands face to face with prospective franchisees and for prospective
Unique Data Breach Issues Facing Franchise Systems
I recently attended a very informative panel discussion at this year’s IFA Legal Symposium in Washington D.C. earlier this month on addressing data security risks in franchise systems. The panel, consisting of two attorneys with Bank of America Merchant Services provided some good tips and takeaways for franchise systems:
- Do tabletops. Your franchise system
State Regulatory Roundup (ABA Franchise Forum Retrospective)
Each year the ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Meeting offers a regulatory roundup on state disclosure and registration issues consisting of a panel of franchise examiners from some of the most difficult registration states. This past year in Palm Desert regulators
How to Ensure Your Franchise Application Process is Airtight–No Matter Your System’s Size
Last year at the ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Meeting, the programming included a seminar entitled “Between You and Me: A Toolkit to Counsel in and to Smaller Systems.” The purpose of the session was to provide new in-house lawyers an overview of some of the day-to-day legal conundrums that growing brands
National Restaurant Association Releases New Cybersecurity Guide
The National Restaurant Association recently released a new guide for restaurant operators looking for more information on how to increase their cybersecurity efforts.
In 2015, the National Restaurant Association released its first manual for restaurant owners called “Cybersecurity 101: A Toolkit for Restaurant Operators” [PDF] which outlined best practices on five core areas
What Types of Franchise Sellers Must Register in Washington?
Michelle Webster, a franchise financial legal examiner with the State of Washington Department of Financial Institutions, took a few minutes at the start of the ABA Forum on Franchising’s Annual Meeting seminar on disclosures to discuss the registration of franchise brokers in Washington. The main takeaway? If you sell franchises in Washington, then there
Oops. How to Fix a Franchise Registration Defect in California!
Maybe you are an international company with a successful brand that sold a master franchise or area representative right in California without knowing the robust state franchise registration laws. Maybe you are an up-and-coming pizza joint operating in
ABA Forum Takeaway: Will the Trump Era Mark the End of Franchise Regulation?
As we head into Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address, our thoughts at Fox Rothschild return to last year at the ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Meeting in Palm Desert, California. One of the most interesting seminars was entitled “What’s New and What’s Next: The New Administration and Beyond.” In addition to