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American Association Of Franchisees And Dealers
The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) acts as a consumer protection organization that exposes the unethical practices that exist in the franchising community, and to educate the public regarding fair franchise rules, and quality franchise opportunities. History The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) came into existence because United States laws which purport to regulate franchising effectively legalize abusive franchising practices, rather than restrict franchise fraud. As long as the franchisor discloses the details of its practices, the unethical practices are enforceable. The AAFD seeks to provide a counterbalance to franchisee-unfriendly franchising regulations and franchise misrepresentations in the franchising industry by providing resources to franchise associations, franchisees, franchise owners and prospective buyers. The AAFD is a national non-profit trade association dedicated to defining and promoting best franchise practice ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Consumer Protection
Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent businesses from engaging in fraud or specified unfair practices in order to gain an advantage over competitors or to mislead consumers. They may also provide additional protection for the general public which may be impacted by a product (or its production) even when they are not the direct purchaser or consumer of that product. For example, government regulations may require businesses to disclose detailed information about their products—particularly in areas where public health or safety is an issue, such as with food or automobiles. Consumer protection is linked to the idea of consumer rights and to the formation of consumer organizations, which help consumers make better choices in the marketplace and pursue complaints against businesses. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction over federal civil antitrust enforcement with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The agency is headquartered in the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, DC. The FTC was established in 1914 with the passage of the Federal Trade Commission Act, signed in response to the 19th-century monopolistic trust crisis. Since its inception, the FTC has enforced the provisions of the Clayton Act, a key antitrust statute, as well as the provisions of the FTC Act, et seq. Over time, the FTC has been delegated with the enforcement of additional business regulation statutes and has promulgated a number of regulations (codified in Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations). The broad statutory authority granted to the FTC provide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trade Associations Based In The United States
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exchange of goods and services for other goods and services, i.e. trading things without the use of money. Modern traders generally negotiate through a medium of exchange, such as money. As a result, buying can be separated from selling, or earning. The invention of money (and letter of credit, paper money, and non-physical money) greatly simplified and promoted trade. Trade between two traders is called bilateral trade, while trade involving more than two traders is called multilateral trade. In one modern view, trade exists due to specialization and the division of labour, a predominant form of economic activity in which individuals and groups concentrate on a small aspect of production, but use their output in trades for other products ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association (IFA) is a trade group focused on government and public relations efforts for the franchise industry. The association publishes data on franchise activity through a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and has litigated on behalf of its members in cases that have reached the U.S. Supreme Court. History IFA was originally founded in Chicago in 1961 by Dunkin' Donuts founder Bill Rosenberg and other business owners. Lobbying activities IFA lobbies in local, state and federal workforce issues such as minimum wage increases, employee classifications and health care legislation. In 2015, the IFA filed suit against the city of Seattle to combat the city's planned minimum wage increase. The case proceeded to the US Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Seattle. The Center for Media and Democracy consider IFA to be a source of pro-business lobbying activity on behalf of other groups such as ALEC and the Koch Brothers The Koch family ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frivolous Litigation
Frivolous litigation is the use of legal processes with apparent disregard for the merit of one's own arguments. It includes presenting an argument with reason to know that it would certainly fail, or acting without a basic level of diligence in researching the relevant law and facts. That a claim was lost does not imply the claim in itself was frivolous. Frivolous litigation may be based on absurd legal theories, may involve a superabundance or repetition of motions or additional suits, may be uncivil or harassing to the court, or may claim extreme remedies. A claim or defense may be frivolous because it had no underlying justification in fact, or because it was not presented with an argument for a reasonable extension or reinterpretation of the law. A claim may be deemed frivolous because existing laws unequivocally prohibit such a claim, such as a so-called Good Samaritan law. In the United States, Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and similar state rules req ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rollovers As Business Start-Ups
Rollovers as business start-ups (ROBS) are arrangements in the United States in which current or prospective business owners use their 401(k), IRA or other retirement funds to pay for new business start-up costs, for business acquisition costs or to refinance an existing business. In 2008, the Internal Revenue Service set up the ROBS Compliance Project to monitor such arrangements. Background ROBS plans, while not considered an abusive tax avoidance transaction, are, according to the IRS, "questionable" because they may solely benefit one individual – the individual who rolls over his or her existing retirement 401k withdrawal funds to the ROBS plan in a tax-free transaction. Since the IRS pronouncement concerning this potentially discriminatory approach, most ROBS plans have included all participants and have provided broad-based participation for all employees. The ROBS plan then uses the rollover assets to purchase the stock of the new business. A C corporation must be set up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gag Order
A gag order (also known as a gagging order or suppression order) is an order, typically a legal order by a court or government, restricting information or comment from being made public or passed onto any unauthorized third party. The phrase may sometimes be used of a private order by an employer or other institution. Uses of gag orders include keeping trade secrets of a company, protecting the integrity of ongoing police or military operations, and protecting the privacy of victims or minors. Conversely, as their downside, they may be abused as a useful tool for those of financial means to intimidate witnesses and prevent release of information, using the legal system rather than other methods of intimidation. Strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) orders may potentially be abused in this way. Gag orders are sometimes used in an attempt to assure a fair trial by preventing prejudicial pre-trial publicity, although their use for this purpose is controversial sinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Confidentiality Agreement
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to. Doctor–patient confidentiality (physician–patient privilege), attorney–client privilege, priest–penitent privilege and bank–client confidentiality agreements are examples of NDAs, which are often not enshrined in a written contract between the parties. It is a contract through which the parties agree not to disclose any information covered by the agreement. An NDA creates a confidential relationship between the parties, typically to protect any type of confidential and proprietary information or trade secrets. As such, an NDA protects non-public business information. Like all contracts, they cannot be enforced if the contracted activities are illegal. NDAs are commonly signed when two companies, individu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-disclosure Agreement
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to. Doctor–patient confidentiality (physician–patient privilege), attorney–client privilege, priest–penitent privilege and bank–client confidentiality agreements are examples of NDAs, which are often not enshrined in a written contract between the parties. It is a contract through which the parties agree not to disclose any information covered by the agreement. An NDA creates a confidential relationship between the parties, typically to protect any type of confidential and proprietary information or trade secrets. As such, an NDA protects non-public business information. Like all contracts, they cannot be enforced if the contracted activities are illegal. NDAs are commonly signed when two companies, individu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Register
The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on federal holidays. The final rules promulgated by a federal agency and published in the ''Federal Register'' are ultimately reorganized by topic or subject matter and codified in the '' Code of Federal Regulations'' (CFR), which is updated annually. The ''Federal Register'' is compiled by the Office of the Federal Register (within the National Archives and Records Administration) and is printed by the Government Publishing Office. There are no copyright restrictions on the ''Federal Register''; as a work of the U.S. government, it is in the public domain. Contents The ''Federal Register'' provides a means for the government to announce to the public changes to government requirements, policies, and guidance. * Proposed new rules and regulat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Franchise Rule
The Franchise Rule defines acts or practices that are unfair or deceptive in the franchise industry in the United States. The Franchise Rule is published by the Federal Trade Commission. The Franchise Rule seeks to facilitate informed decisions and to prevent deception in the sale of franchises by requiring franchisors to provide prospective franchisees with essential information prior to the sale. It does not, however, regulate the substance of the terms that control the relationship between franchisors and franchisees. Also, while the Franchise Rule removed the regulation of the sale of franchises from the purview of state law, placing it under the authority of the FTC to regulate interstate commerce, the FTC Franchise Rule does not require franchisors to disclose the unit performance statistics of the franchised system to new buyers of franchises (as would be necessary under state and federal Securities and Exchange law). The FTC Franchise Rule was originally adopted in 1978. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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