News: Taft featured on the big screen in "Dark Waters" starring Mark Ruffalo,
Tim Robbins, & Anne Hathaway about Taft's 20-year fight against DuPont
Dec 2022: Taft expands to 800+ attorneys with Detroit merger
Jan 2023: New Copyright Claims Board Creates “Small Claims” Alternative to Litigation (Jan 2023)
Sept 2022: Taft Recognized as Top 10 Trademark Law Firm
Aug 2022: Bass again named among Best Lawyers in America™
-Bass is ranked in top 5% of private practice attorneys nationwide by 2023 Best Lawyers™ along with 243 Taft attorneys.
Franchise and Distribution
We offer a broad range of legal services to franchisors, franchisees, associations of franchisees, managers and distributors. We can assist clients in preparing Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars, franchise agreements, area agreements and related contracts, evaluating franchises, negotiating franchise agreements, and in litigation and other dispute resolution procedures. Taft also represents manufacturers and distributors in managing, terminating and restructuring the distribution relationship.
Litigation
We have experience litigating issues of importance to franchisors, franchisees, manufacturers and distributors, including breach of franchise agreements, trade secret cases, non-compete, trademark disputes, and distribution issues. Taft has both pursued and defended breach of contract actions, including actions related to:
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Exclusive territories
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Encroachment
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Non-competition agreements
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Rights to transfer the franchise
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Termination rights
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Franchisor and franchisee performance
Taft franchise lawyers have litigated good faith and fair dealing claims and claims of implied or quasi contract dealing with changing methods of distribution, rights to new products, franchisor pricing of its products and other aspects of the franchise and distribution relationship.
Business Representation
Taft advises franchisors on compliance with FTC and state franchise disclosure/registration laws, relationship/termination laws and business opportunity laws. We counsel on structuring distribution to minimize the impact of such laws.
Taft assists franchisors in preparing Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars (UFOC), franchise agreements, license agreements and protecting trademarks, copyrights, trade class and patents.
Taft's franchise lawyers have advised franchisors, franchisees, franchisee associations, manufacturers and distributors on:
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Advertising
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Advertising funds
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Pricing
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Customer relations
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Trademarks
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Antitrust
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Internet commerce
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Purchase cooperatives
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Transshipments and gray market problems
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Exclusivity
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Non-competition
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Franchisee transfers
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Termination
Taft lawyers have handled many sale acquisitions of franchise and distribution businesses, some up to hundreds of millions of dollars. These services include:
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Structuring the transaction
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Tax advice
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Negotiating the acquisition agreements
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Environmental issues
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Employment issues
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Hart-Scott-Rodino filings
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Post-closing issues

Celebrating
25 Years
In Practice 1998--2023
Leon D. Bass / Of Counsel*
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
P: 614-431-2277 (call/text)
65 E. State St. Ste. 1000
Columbus, OH 43215
Kathy Cox
Legal Assistant to Leon Bass
P: 614.220.0228
*Leon Bass is licensed as an attorney to practice law in Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Brown, Blaique J.
Kathy Cox