For decades, franchisors have relied on post-termination restrictive covenants against competition as an important tool for protecting their brands, confidential information, customer relationships, and franchise systems after a franchisee leaves the system. But the...
Maryland has updated its franchise registration and disclosure regime. Franchisors selling in the state have a compliance deadline to plan around. On May 12, 2026, Governor Wes Moore signed H.B. 730, amending the Maryland Franchise Registration and Disclosure Law (Md....
Kaufmann Gildin & Robbins LLP recently secured a significant victory for its client, Bonchon Franchise LLC, one of the nation’s leading Korean fried chicken franchise systems. On May 28, 2026, Judge Colleen McMahon of the United States District Court for the...
For more than a decade, franchisors and franchisees have operated amid an evolving and often uncertain legal landscape concerning one of the most significant issues in franchise law: when may a franchisor be deemed a “joint employer” of a franchisee's employees? The...
Private equity's appetite for franchise systems has become one of the defining stories in franchising over the past decade. Hardly a month passes without a headline announcing that a well-known brand has changed hands — not to a strategic competitor, but to a...
So you have built a successful business and you are ready to franchise it. Franchising can be a powerful engine for growth -- but it is also one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States. Before you award your first franchise, there is substantial...
Many businesses often seek to expand beyond company-owned operations to trademark licensing arrangements, distributorships, dealerships, affiliate programs, commission-based sales networks, independent contractor relationships, and other forms of strategic...
Franchise relationship laws impose significant obligations on franchisors beyond federal disclosure requirements. These state-specific statutes typically govern when a franchisor must (or need not) renew a franchise and may (or may not) terminate a franchise, along...
Franchising is one of the most heavily regulated methods of doing business in the United States. Federal law, administered by the Federal Trade Commission, and the laws of more than a dozen individual states impose a web of disclosure, registration, and sales conduct...
What Changed: Overview of the New Law Virginia has enacted one of the most significant changes to its franchise laws in recent years. On April 13, 2026, Governor Abigail Spanberger signed House Bill 69 and Senate Bill 240 into law, substantially amending the Virginia...
