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These international franchising law chapters are reproduced with permission from Law Business Research. These articles were published in Getting the Deal Through - Franchise, (contributing editor Mark Kirsch).

As globalization took off in the 1990s, small-to-medium-sized businesses quickly became an underserved market as large-scale corporate customers took precedent based on their high-volume shipping needs.

International franchising is mature in many markets, yet immature in others. Traditionally, franchising was more prevalent in a business’s home country and translation was seldom required. Today, international franchising is practiced by large and small organizations and is increasing in markets like Mexico, Saudi Arabia and China.

Both the business operations and legal perspectives of franchising internationally were discussed in this webinar. Panelists discussed the current situation for franchise businesses in different countries as they confront COVID-19-related disruption, and its impact on different sectors. They also discussed the various ways that franchisors are providing support to licensees and franchisees, and provided specific cases of how businesses are responding, both internally and customer-facing. Finally, the panelists touched on government assistance programs available in different jurisdictions.

IFA Members from Polsinelli and the Spice & Tea Exchange discussed the implications of COVID-19 on the global supply chain, provided an update on imports, exports, and trade into and out of the United States, and briefed participants on insurance provisions related to the pandemic. The panelists went into detail on supply chain interruptions and possible avenues for relief via domestic secondary vendors. While the panelists noted trade and import/export reductions, they noted that the U.S. Trade Representative has published new tariff exclusions on certain important goods. Finally, the panelists discussed business insurance coverage.

CEO and Founder of 9Round Franchising, LLC, gives insights into how his brand went international and how yours can too.