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Non-Compete Compliance in 2025: State Trends and Employer Strategies
FTC and Florida Focus on Non-Competes, SCOTUS to Rule on Pension Withdrawal Liability - #WorkforceWednesday® - Employment Law This Week®
Podcast - Tips for Maintaining FTC Compliance When Using AI
From Banks to FinTech: The Evolution of Small Business Lending — The Consumer Finance Podcast
From Banks to FinTech: The Evolution of Small Business Lending — Payments Pros – The Payments Law Podcast
Driving Digital Security: The FTC's Safeguards Rule Explained — Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast
First 100 Days of the New HSR Rules with Antitrust Partner Kara Kuritz
Podcast - FTC to Focus on Deceptive AI Claims: Compliance Management Strategies
Cruising Through Change: The Auto-Finance Industry’s New Era Under Trump Unveiled — The Consumer Finance Podcast
Cruising Through Change: The Auto-Finance Industry’s New Era Under Trump Unveiled — Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast
Compliance Needs are Alive and Well: FTC's Recent Enforcement Activity
Podcast - New Guidance on Complying with FTC Rule on Deceptive and Unfair Fees
Podcast - Navigating the New Landscape of Private Equity in Healthcare
The Briefing: Influencer Fail – ALO Yoga & Influencers Named in $150M Class Action Lawsuit for FTC Violations
From Cell Phones to Tractors: The Right to Repair Movement Drives On — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: The Impact of the Election on the FTC
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2 Gurus Talk Compliance: Episode 51 – The Compliance Week at 20 Edition
Daily Compliance News: May 1, 2025, The 100 Days of Corruption Edition
The US Small Business Administration (SBA) has reinstated its SBA Franchise Directory after a two-year hiatus. Widely hailed as a valuable resource by stakeholders, the SBA Franchise Directory is a list of franchisors...more
There were a number of important and potentially impactful developments in 2024 that we predict will continuing developing and trending in 2025. Some of these topics are also discussed in other articles in this annual update....more
In May of last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought to ban non-compete agreements in most employment contracts. Franchise agreements were an exception. However, before the rule could take effect in September, a...more
Last year saw non-compete agreements come under repeated scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission. On April 23, 2024, the FTC issued a final rule banning non-compete agreements in most employment contracts....more
Last May, the Federal Trade Commission looked to ban non-compete agreements in most employment contracts aside from franchise agreements. Although scheduled to become effective in September, a federal court vacated the ruling...more
On January 16, 2025, in the waning hours of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jointly released their “Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting...more
Washington-state based franchisees Greg and Gabriela Skistimas brought suit against Hotworx Franchising LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington alleging misleading and unfair practices related to...more
On September 5, 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) answered a second certified question in Patel, et al. v. 7-Eleven, Inc., et al. (“Patel II”), a long-running case where 7-Eleven franchisees claimed they...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on July 12, 2024 released a policy statement warning that the use of contract provisions that prohibit franchisees from communicating with the government about legal violations are unlawful....more
On July 12, the FTC released a new policy statement, staff guidance, and an issue spotlight about allegedly unfair and deceptive practices by franchisors. The policy statement addressed the FTC’s concerns that franchisees...more
The FTC announced that it has taken multiple actions to address growing concern about unfair and deceptive practices by franchisors. The FTC released a Policy Statement on Franchisors’ Use of Contract Provisions, Including...more
On Friday, July 12, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) published an analysis of the information it received in response to its Request for Information related to franchisors’ business practices, launched in March...more
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) latest policy statement aims to dictate the outcome of contract negotiations between franchisors and their franchisees and to limit the potential negative impact on franchisees of...more
The International Franchise Association (IFA) recently announced its core practices of responsible franchising and policy recommendations. The principles are grounded in transparency during the franchise sales process through...more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to issue a Non-Compete Clause Rule that would ban most non-compete clauses in agreements between businesses and their “workers.” The final rule will take effect 120...more
On April 23, 2034, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final rule intended to ban the use and enforcement of most non-compete clauses signed by workers. The new rule is not in effect yet. It will become...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
In an important case of first impression that drew amicus participation from the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the International Franchise Association, the Seventh Circuit reversed a judgment in...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
Drive down almost any busy street, and you'll see numerous examples of well-known franchises, from McDonald's to Ace Hardware. You may have considered opening a franchise and wondered about the potential rewards and...more
On Friday, March 10, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) soliciting public comments on various issues pertaining to the franchisor-franchisee relationship, including franchisor supply...more
The Federal Trade Commission on Friday announced a Request for Information regarding “franchise agreements and franchisor business practices, including how franchisors may exert control over franchisees and their workers.”...more
In June 2021, the Supreme Court reaffirmed in NCAA v. Alston that antitrust claims under Section 1 of the Sherman Act “presumptively” call for rule-of-reason analysis and that only the rare case merits “quick look” or per se...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
On September 16, 2020, Rohit Chopra, one of the five commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), declared on Twitter that “[franchise] regulators must stop unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory practices that target...more