We previously reported that on October 5, 2015, the Government of British Columbia (BC Government) introduced Bill 38 – 2015, Franchises Act (Franchises Act) that would make it the sixth province in Canada to regulate franchising along with the provinces of Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

It is often said that starting a franchise business has its advantages, a proven business model, ongoing training and support, and an established brand. Here are a few more advantages that franchisees take the benefit of when joining a franchise system.

The British Columbia (Canada) government has introduced a bill that will make it the sixth province in Canada to regulate franchising along with the provinces of Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Franchisee employees may be considered “joint employees” of the franchisor for purposes of collective bargaining and other employment issues under the National Labor Relations Board’s recent decision in Browning Ferris Industries of California, Inc. (BFI), a decision that could expose franchisors to labor law liability for conducting common franchisor activities.

It is well established that the intellectual property (“IP”) of a franchise brand is one of its most valuable assets. Trademark registration is typically one of the first steps franchisors take to protect their brand in a given jurisdiction.

Section 5(7)(a)(iv) of the Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure) 2000 (“AWA”) states that disclosure obligations do not apply to a franchisor in circumstances where there is a grant of a franchise by an existing franchisee to another person if the grant of the franchise is not effected by or through the franchisor