The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) regulates the franchise industry at the federal level, requiring that franchisors provide certain disclosures (23 items) through a Franchise Disclosure Document to prospective franchisees before they sign a franchise agreement or give the franchisor any money. Individual states can adopt additional laws. Various states have done just that – requiring the filing of the Uniform Franchise Registration Application, paying of filing fees, providing notice of intent to sell franchises, to name just a few. Some states have also passed “relationship laws” that regulate the relationship between the franchisor and its franchisee. Recently, there have been some new developments among certain states adopting laws that would regulate the franchise agreements and relationships in Alabama and Washington.

Ice Miller LLP was rated a Ranked Firm in Indiana by Managing Intellectual Property. Partners Holly Banta and T.J Cole were named IP Stars of Indiana, establishing them as leading IP practitioners globally.

A MAP policy is a program designed by franchisors to require that their franchisees not advertise or publicly offer to sell the system’s products or services below a price set by the franchisor. Why are MAP policies adopted? To name a few reasons, they are adopted to promote fair competition across the franchise system; to maintain brand identity; and to allow smaller franchisee outlets to compete with larger ones. 

Ice Miller partner Matt Ehinger will present “Selling Direct to Consumers: eCommerce Tax Implications” at the Toy Association Annual Business Conference on June 18 at 12:00 p.m. in Minneapolis.

Tim Belevetz, a partner in Ice Miller’s White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Practice, co-authored a chapter in the recently published From Baksheesh to Bribery: Understanding the Global Fight Against Corruption and Graft.

Ice Miller partner Guillermo Christensen will moderate “Data Security Awareness in Action,” a panel discussion at the American Bar Association Section of Litigation & Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division CLE Conference in New York on May 1 at 2:00 p.m.

Ice Miller partner Guillermo Christensen will panel “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t: Discovery of Ephemeral Messaging” at the American Bar Association’s 13^th Annual National Institute on E-Discovery at the Mesirow Financial Auditorium in Chicago, IL on April 26.

Ice Miller partner-in-charge of client relations Melissa Proffitt currently serves as co-chair for the American Cancer Society’s Indiana ResearcHERS initiative. ResearcHERS: Women Fighting Cancer seeks to raise funds to support women in cancer research leadership roles and inspire women to pursue careers in science.

On April 1, the Department of Labor issued a proposed regulation intended to minimize a franchisor's joint employer liability by narrowing the circumstances in which businesses (including franchisors) can be considered joint employers.

Indiana IoT Lab’s 2019 Inaugural State of IoT Report contains unique industry perspective on the business climate for connected technologies in central Indiana from a wide range of companies involved in the Internet of Things. Ice Miller is proud to have contributed to this effort as the only law firm involved. The full report focuses on how the Internet of Things is affecting Indiana’s core economic pillars of manufacturing, agriculture and logistics.