3 Key Takeaways | Is Franchising Doomed? The 2024 Version
5 Key Takeaways | Franchising in the USA: Challenges for Latin American Brands
Class Action | Eleventh Circuit Reinstates No Hire Antitrust Claims Against Burger King
Is Franchising Doomed?
Strategies for Negotiating with a Franchisee and Franchisor
Before committing to a franchise business, consider...
Franchise Agreements are typically drafted by the franchisor and presented on a “take it or leave it” basis. These contracts often impose strict controls over how you operate your business — from approved vendors and...more
A federal court in South Carolina recently sua sponte vacated its own grant of partial summary judgment due to the abusive nature of the ongoing litigation. YGM Franchise, LLC v. Wong, 2025 WL 1549606 (D.S.C. May 30, 2025)....more
A federal court in Missouri recently denied franchisor Three Dog Bakery, LLC’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against its former franchisee, J.L.E.T. Enterprises SWF, LLC, and its owners, Joseph and Lynette...more
A federal court in Missouri recently granted a franchisor’s motion for a preliminary injunction, finding that the franchisee’s operation of a competing business demonstrated irreparable harm. Three Dog Bakery, LLC v. Crit,...more
A federal court in Missouri granted franchisor’s motion for preliminary injunction against its former franchisee, enjoining the former franchisee from operating a competing business from the former franchised location....more
A federal court recently granted in part and denied in part a franchisor’s motion to enjoin the post-termination activities of its former franchisees and two related entities. Rooterman, LLC is a plumbing services franchisor....more
A federal court in Massachusetts recently granted, in part, a Motion for Preliminary Injunction as to enforcement of franchise agreement noncompete covenants but denied the motion as to claims of trademark infringement,...more
A Massachusetts federal court granted a franchisor’s request to enforce the franchise agreement’s post-termination non-compete provision against a terminated franchisee....more
A federal district court in Tennessee granted a motion for a default judgment in the franchisor’s favor against its former franchisee requiring the franchisee to pay damages and comply with the post-termination obligations...more
Le 13 février 2025, la Cour d’appel de la Colombie-Britannique (la « CACB ») a rejeté une demande d’autorisation d’interjeter appel du jugement sommaire rendu dans l’affaire Latifi v. The TDL Group Corp., confirmant que des...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
While 2024 saw more stability in the financial markets than 2023, many challenges arose in 2024 for franchised businesses, manufacturers and retail chains, including bankruptcies of many large restaurant and retail chains,...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, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued “Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting Workers” (2025 Guidelines). The 2025 Guidelines aim to “promote clarity and...more
Virginia Senate Bill 798, introduced by former in-home senior care franchisee Sen. Chris Head, was passed unanimously by the Virginia Senate on January 17, 2025. The bill would amend Virginia's Retail Franchising Law to...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
A Minnesota district court issued a preliminary injunction against a former franchisee who engaged in a competing business during the franchise relationship. Snap Fitness, Inc., a gym franchisor, entered into a franchise...more
A federal court in Minnesota recently granted franchisor Snap Fitness Inc.’s motion for preliminary injunction against an out-of-state franchisee that announced its intentions to open a competing gym during the term of the...more
A Kansas district court denied a franchisor’s motion for preliminary injunction against its former franchisee who engaged in competing businesses immediately after terminating the franchise relationship....more
The California Court of Appeals upheld a decision finding that a Texas court had personal jurisdiction over California franchisees. GlobalCFO LLC v. Venkataramanappa, 2024 WL 4220439 (Cal. Ct. App. Sept. 18, 2024)....more
In a recent decision of interest, the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan held that a non-compete clause within a franchise agreement as well as confidentiality agreement could not be rejected as an...more
A Colorado federal court denied a franchisor’s request for preliminary injunction that would enforce a non-compete provision against a former franchisee. The franchisor of spice and tea shops known as Spice & Tea Merchants...more
A federal court in Michigan has granted a franchisor’s motion for preliminary injunction against former franchisees for violating the franchise agreements’ post-termination noncompete provisions. 1-800 Water Damage Int’l LLC...more