Overview
Locke Lord’s experienced team of attorneys has represented franchisors and distributors across Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Australia, Latin America, the Middle East and North America. We handle all types of franchise or distribution structures , including those relating to master franchise, master development, area development, area representative, direct franchise, broker, distribution, sales representative, joint venture and management arrangements.
Our attorneys are skilled in domestic and foreign franchise disclosure laws, and we prepare innovative, cost effective disclosure documents. We also provide counsel on the multitude of issues that arise when expanding abroad, including the protection of intellectual property rights, efficient tax structuring and compliance with local competition laws and other regulatory requirements. Finally, we are knowledgeable of foreign franchise registration requirements and their application to various franchise program structures.
We also work extensively with manufacturers and product distributors to structure worldwide distribution programs, and to address territorial and pricing issues, shipment and payment terms, thorny termination situations and competition law compliance matters.