Georgia International Franchise Lawyer

If you are a franchisor who is expanding internationally, you need an attorney to help you make sure you obey your target countries’ laws. A Georgia international franchise lawyer from Franchise.Law could help structure your business’s expansion strategy to meet the legal requirements of the markets you are entering.

The experienced franchise attorneys at our firm could address your key concerns, including intellectual property (IP) protection and contractual and dispute resolution issues. We could also help you deal with financial and tax challenges during your expansion.

What Are the Top Considerations in Creating an International Franchise?

As our attorneys could further explain during a consultation, Georgia does not have a state-specific franchise relationship law, but many foreign countries have their own franchise registration and disclosure statutes. Some countries require government filings or approval of your franchise agreement before you can sell a franchise. You must register your trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets—the foundation of your franchise—in each target country.

It is important to know how IP laws differ from country to country. International contracts must comply with local laws and international treaties. Key clauses about duration, development targets, and termination rights require local legal review to make them enforceable. You must also figure out the preferred method for resolving disputes with franchisees and select a neutral and enforceable forum.

We could help you deal with these potential challenges, as well as with fluctuating exchange rates, currency controls, and other practical concerns. Our team could evaluate the typical lending practices in your target country and help you understand the cost of funds, lending terms, and local banking regulations.

When you enter a market, we could help you account for the costs of:

• Travel
• Translations
• Registration fees
• Initial system development

Our attorneys could also advise you about selecting your master franchisees and make sure your partners abroad are knowledgeable about local markets and have enough money to handle any problems that may occur during the expansion.

How Our Attorneys Could Help Franchisors

Our Georgia international franchise attorneys could help franchisors by handling matters related to disclosure, registration, and relationship laws in different countries. We could also help you accommodate the differences between federal, state, and foreign franchise laws. Our services include:

• Handling litigation for breach of contract, trademark infringement, and fraud in the United States and abroad
• Helping you adapt operations manuals and system standards to comply with other countries’ laws and culture
• Making terms (such as post-termination non-compete clauses) in your contracts enforceable across international borders
• Registering and protecting your trademarks and other IP in foreign countries to prevent unauthorized use and infringement
• Dealing with international arbitration or mediation clauses, which are often the preferred method for resolving global disputes
• Dealing with IP rights, currency and financial matters, import-export terms, dispute resolution venues, and other contractual elements
• Helping you comply with U.S. regulations (including the Federal Trade Commission Franchise Rule) for offerings that involve international transactions
• Drafting and negotiating master franchise agreements and area development agreements, which limit your liability exposure, and making them enforceable in foreign legal jurisdictions

While Franchise.Law is based in Charlotte, NC, we represent franchisors across the country. Our services focus on federal franchise law and multi-state compliance. We are not licensed to practice Georgia law, but we operate under the multi-jurisdictional practice rules, including those permitting representation in matters governed primarily by federal law, such as franchise regulation.

Call Our Georgia Attorneys To Discuss Your Franchise Expansion in Foreign Markets

If you are a franchisor who is expanding into markets outside the United States, a Georgia international franchise lawyer from our firm could advise you about growth strategies for achieving your business goals without exceeding your tolerance for risk. Call Franchise.Law today to schedule a confidential consultation.