Javad Heydary, Managing Director of Heydary Hamilton PC advises franchisees to seek legal advice before implementing new strategies.
“Franchisees should consider the following key aspects when implementing social media: intellectual property, liability, contractual obligations, and privacy issues. “In new media, everyone is experimenting. You can’t separate the role of the franchisee with the franchisor. Franchisees need to ensure their activities do not put them in violation with the franchisor. The use of intellectual property is licensed and often, there is not a broad range of permissions.”
Heydary says any social media initiative must adhere to provincial and federal laws as well as individual company privacy policies. He adds that franchisees can protect themselves by ensuring that relevant information, such as terms of use on a website, are always incorporated. “They can also alleviate concerns by using the franchisor as a valuable resource. The franchisor may have ideas or policies and procedures already in place.”
With regard to companies that consider delegating social media tasks to a third party representatives, Heydary says they should proceed slowly and perform their due diligence. “Ask how long they have been in business, and ensure that they understand what is involved. New media is more relaxed and is not as cognizant of regular standards. They have to hold your standards in high regard.”
He adds that the non-legal ramifications of embarrassing mistakes can result in huge business consequences.
Fernandes, Merlyn
(416) 972-9001
clientservices@heydary.com
Heydary, Javad
(416) 972-9001 Ext. 201
clientservices@heydary.com
Hosseini, Ruzbeh
(416) 972-9001, Ext. 207
clientservices@heydary.com
Reinbergs, Eb
(647) 288-1181
clientservices@heydary.com
Yu, Daisy
(416) 642-2026
clientservices@heydary.com
