Proposals of Public Law Instruments for Strengthening the Private Law Protection of Franchisees
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46282/blr.2025.9.1.875Keywords:
Franchisee, Franchisor, Collective Interests of Franchisees, Weaker Party, Private Law, Public LawAbstract
There are presented proposals for public law instruments aimed at strengthening the legal protection of franchisees, who are often in a weaker economic position in relation to the organisers of franchise networks. The main objective of the study is to present and discuss ways of legally increasing the effectiveness of franchisee protection, which is currently regulated in private law. The author postulates that regulations in private law are not sufficient due to the strong economic disproportions between the parties to the franchise agreement. Different approaches to the regulation of the franchise agreement can be observed in different legal systems. Many countries do not have detailed legal regulations regarding the franchise agreement, and these agreements are often based on general principles of freedom of contract. However, the need to protect franchisees, who are usually weaker contractors, is increasingly being noticed. International initiatives such as the "UNIDROIT Model Franchise Disclosure Law" were also indicated, which aim to protect franchisees by regulating the information obligations of franchise network organisers. Models of legal regulation of the franchise agreement. The proposals also include more advanced regulations that define the rights and obligations of the parties to the franchise agreement and issues related to unfair competition. The document presents arguments for the introduction of instruments for the protection of franchisees in public law. It was noted that franchising is a phenomenon of social importance that deserves the attention of the legislator. There are also concerns about pathological phenomena in the area of franchising, such as excessive exploitation of franchisees or the risk of unfair practices The document emphasises that franchisees should have access to similar forms of protection for consumers and employee. The document ends with the statement that private law regulations may not be sufficient to protect franchisees. It is proposed that protection in public law should complement private law regulations, which could increase the effectiveness of protecting franchisees' interests.
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