As disclosed in the last post the new amended FTC rule concerning franchise disclosure documents requires franchisors to update their UFOC by no later than July 1, 2008.  After July 1, 2008, franchisors must comply with the new FTC rule only.  Currently, franchisors may comply with either the former rule or the new rule.

Here

Interested in franchising your business and have an extra 36 minutes? 

You may want to listen to this informative podcast on AllBusiness featuring franchise lawyers Julie Lusthaus and Warren Lewis discuss the pitfalls of the Franchise Disclosure Document (formerly known as the UFOC).

The new amended FTC rule concerning franchise disclosure documents requires franchisors to

If you are looking at a franchise opportunity perhaps you should beware if your prospective franchisor says the following:

  1. You don’t need a lawyer to review the agreement. 
  2. I would prefer you don’t talk with the other franchisees.  You should only talk with me.
  3. We won’t negotiate any terms.
  4. Trust us, we can’t (and won’t) change

I ran across this informative article on whether you should hire a franchise broker to purchase a franchise via the Indiana Civil & Business Lawyer Blog

The article discusses how the Internet has changed the way people find a franchise.  With all the information available on the Internet it has produced "information overload" for prospective franchisees. 

As regular readers of this blog know, I am engaged in a never ending search for blogs that present franchise opportunities in a fair and objective manner.  All too often franchise related sites are merely promotional pieces. 

FranchisePick is a site worth checking out.  Yes, there are some promotional pieces on the site.  But franchise marketing veteran, Sean

I have written in the past about Iowa Franchise Law and Territorial Encroachment.  Franchisees generally want an exclusive territory that is protected from encroachment by other franchisees or the franchisor’s company owned stores.  But have you considered the impact of Internet retailing by the franchisor or other franchisees?

Be sure to review the territory

At this past week’s ABA Forum on Franchising I attended an insightful presentation with Michael Levitz, Kenneth Milner and Robert Purvin.  Purvin is from the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers which has some helpful tips and resources on its Web site to evaluate franchise opportunities.

While the presentation covered many areas of successful