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ARTICLE · 17 MAY 2011

Franchise & Distribution Law - April 2011

Aird & Berlis LLP
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The roots of franchise law in Canada go back to at least the early ‘70s, when the growing franchise activity in the U.S. began to creep northward and a few aspiring Canadian entrepreneurs saw opportunities in this then unusual method of distribution.

CanadaCorporate/Commercial Law
Aird & Berlis LLP
Aird & Berlis LLP
Dennis O'Leary
Dennis O'Leary
Angela Swan
Angela Swan
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The Rise of Franchise Law: Challenges and Opportunities in a Rapidly Evolving Practice Area

By Ned Levitt

This article previously appeared in the January 28, 2011 issue of The Lawyers Weekly.

The roots of franchise law in Canada go back to at least the early '70s, when the growing franchise activity in the U.S. began to creep northward and a few aspiring Canadian entrepreneurs saw opportunities in this then unusual method of distribution. Back then, as today, a lot of the activity in franchising was in the fast food industry. Little noticed at the time was the nascent real estate franchise sector, which was one of the portents of today's multi-sector, multifaceted and robust franchise marketplace. Franchising in Canada today runs the gamut from retail businesses of every type, including service businesses, to many and varied business-to-business enterprises. Today, few lawyers would say that they never encounter franchise issues in their practices.

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