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Is This a Franchise, or Not?

By Rupert Barkoff and Lindsay A. Victor
April 02, 2014

One of the challenges commonly facing franchise lawyers is that there are several definitions of the term “franchise.” Regardless of whether the parties intend to establish a franchise relationship, if the relationship legally is deemed a “franchise,” certain federal and state laws may apply. However, the definition of “franchise” often varies from statute to statute, and it may be difficult to determine whether a particular statute applies.

For example, one of the typical definitional elements of a franchise for purposes of franchise registration law is that the franchisor must prescribe or suggest a marketing plan to the franchisee. On the other hand, under many of the franchise relationship laws, which govern franchisor's obligations upon termination of franchisee rights under the franchise relationship (among other issues), a critical definitional element of the term “franchise” often is that there must be a “community of interest” between the franchisor and franchisee. This is true under many of the general franchise relationship laws, and is also an element of a franchise under relationship laws governing specific industries.

To add to the challenge, unfortunately, often these definitional elements are vague and undefined, making it most difficult to determine whether a particular relationship will be deemed a franchise.

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