In this week's post, we see that Facebook recently stated that it may have to shut down its operations in the European Union due to a recent judgment against Facebook under the EU’s GDPR. 

Plus, an overview of franchise and franchise disclosure documents.

Facebook Considers Terminating Services in EU after Latest GDPR Ruling

Facebook recently stated that it may have to shut down its operations in the European Union due to a recent judgment against Facebook under the EU’s GDPR. 

Since its implementation in 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) has been held up as the model for stricter privacy laws and regulations.  As the United States’ federal government continues to remain silent about how consumers’ sensitive data and privacy should be safeguarded, many jurisdictions, both national and abroad, have passed their own derivatives of the GDPR.  Earlier this month, however, in response to a GDPR ruling, Facebook publicly stated that it may not be able to continue providing its services to consumers in the European Union (“EU”). 

Read the article here.

Franchise and Franchise Disclosure Documents

A franchise in Texas is governed by the Texas Business Opportunity Act and many people know the likes of large franchise chains such as McDonald’s® and Chick-fil-A®. Texas defines a business opportunity as a sale or lease of more than $500 of products, equipment, supplies, or services that will be used by the purchaser for beginning a business in which the seller represents that the purchaser will make a profit in excess of the amount of the initial investment and the seller will assist buyer in finding a location to sell the products or provide the services, or provide marketing assistance, or will buy back products, or equipment from the buyer. 

All franchises in the United States are governed by both State and Federal Laws, and depending on the state you are in, will likely dictate the law that governs your franchise. Thus, when considering whether or not to franchise your business, you should be aware of the Federal Regulations put down by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your specific State laws. 

Read more here.

Click to read the previous Weekly IP Buzz on Thriving Attorney.

For more posts, see our Intellectual Property Law Blog.

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In addition to Thriving Attorney, Darin M. Klemchuk is founder of Klemchuk LLP, a litigation, intellectual property, and transactional law firm located in Dallas, Texas. Click to read more about Darin Klemchuk's practice as an intellectual property lawyer.