Five provinces in Canada have passed franchise disclosure and fair franchise relationship laws: Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island. British Columbia is also considering franchise disclosure and franchise relationship legislation. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires the use of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) in all 50 states […]
Bill Zolper b.good Franchise Owner in Portland, Maine
Kate Taylor of Entrepreneur.com interviewed Bill Zolper about opening a b.good burger franchise in Portland, Maine. Bill had stopped into burger chain b.good in Boston to grab a quick lunch, he didn’t know how much a bite to eat would change his life. Drawn in by the food and the concept of locally-sourced ingredients, Zolper […]
Well Attended Maine Franchise Owners Business Day and Legislative Meet
On Wednesday, January 29th, over 40 franchise owners met at The Senator Inn in Augusta to share best practices, and learn about various resources for Maine franchise owners. Four impressive and informative speakers headlined the afternoon. Jim Coen, Executive Director of Maine Franchise Owners Association (MFOA) spoke about the importance of organizing franchise owners in […]
Maine Bill Aims to Protect Franchise Owners
By J. Craig Anderson, Portland Press Herald, Staff Writer L.D. 1458 seeks to offer added protections to franchisees of many companies. Franchise owners in Maine are supporting a bill going before a legislative committee Tuesday in Augusta that they say would prevent companies from terminating agreements with their franchise owners without warning, among other provisions. […]
A Bug’s Life – ”Then they ALL might stand up to us”
At last week’s work session for the Labor Commerce and Economic Development Committee, I was asked by a franchisee why were there so many people attending the work session from the side of the Franchisors? They had counted over 20 lobbyist, attorneys, representatives from the International Franchise Association, Maine Restaurant Association, Maine Innkeepers Association, McDonalds, […]
The Super Bowl of Franchise Disputes is Upon Us. ACT NOW!
of Franchising is Upon Us! It’s the Ten Yard Line, we are in Red Zone. You Can Help Us Put Points on the Board! Maine Franchise Owners have been working for over a year to pass sensible legislation that provides basic equity protections for Franchise Owners in Maine. LD1458 aims to protect franchisees from “fraudulent or unfair practices […]
Five Key Principles for the Maine Small Business Investment Protection Act
The Labor, Commerce and Economic Development Committee (LCRED) held a work session yesterday on LD 1458, the Maine Small Business Investment Protection Act. The work session was open to the public, but the Co-Chairs of the Committee decided that comments were not invited from the public, but the committee members and LCRED counsel spoke. There […]
Failed Quiznos Franchisees Drag Maine Economy Down
Portland – As Maine Quiznos franchisees fail miserably under a broken business model, some are questioning what detriment there will be to their state’s economy. Analyzing the sub sandwich chain’s past franchise disclosure documents shows there was approximately $5.4 million in citizen economic loss. The human toll is even larger. Quiznos franchisees and their families have been and will be devastated financially and personally for the remainder of their lives. While the […]
The IFA Has No Risk by Claiming “the Sky is Falling” in Maine
Recently the International Franchise Association (IFA) sent out its IFA Insider Newsletter (Vol. 19, Issue No. 47 ) with the following wake-up call to franchisors “next month the Maine legislature will address LD 1458 (Maine Small Business Investment Protection Act), the most far-reaching and harmful franchise relationship legislation in any state in the country”. They […]
ABA Legal Wizard Abrams Asks for Good Faith in Franchise Law Reform
Enact State and Federal Good Faith & Fair Dealing laws to overrule devious franchise contract provisions. Janet Sparks writes at Blue MauMau that franchisee attorney Lee Abrams had no problem playing along with last year’s American Bar Association Forum on Franchising’s theme in its plenary session, “If I Had a Wizard’s Wand,” expressing his wish […]