Building an Empire on a Borrowed Foundation

Contract negotiations are usually about the relative value of "things." Each party seeks the highest value for their "thing" while downplaying the value of the other's "thing." Negotiations around those "things" are particularly difficult in international franchise transactions where relationships can span generations, territories can include entire countries, and the franchisor's system is at the core of the franchisee's business. In other words, the franchisee will set out to build an empire on a foundation it only borrows from the franchisor. That fact critically shapes the parties' negotiations.

At the heart of every international franchise negotiation is the fact that the franchisee will build its empire on a foundation that, both during and after the relationship ends, belongs to the franchisor. This forces the parties to act collaboratively, in good faith, through what is often the most difficult part of the relationship: negotiating the contract.

Michael Daigle, a partner with Cheng Cohen LLC in Chicago, has been advising franchise clients in transactions around the world for 25 years. Email michael.daigle@chengcohen.com or call 312-957-8366.

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