Franchises: offer to sell: trade show.

The Franchise Investment Law generally requires a franchisor to register with the Department of Business Oversight before an offer or sale of a franchise in this state and provides that a willful violation of this law is a crime. Existing law provides, among other things, that an offer or sale of a franchise is made in this state when an offer to sell is made in this state, or an offer to buy is accepted in this state, or, if the franchisee is domiciled in this state, the franchised business is or will be operated in this state. Existing law provides that an offer to sell is not made in this state merely because a radio or television program originating outside this state is received in this state. This bill would provide, until January 1, 2020, that an offer to sell is not made in this state merely because a prospective franchisor, or a franchisor who is not then offering a franchise for sale in California and has not registered an offering under the Franchise Investment Law, secures a space at a franchise trade show from which it offers information about its products, services, or system to the general public under specified circumstances, including, among others, the payment of a fee. The bill would also define a franchise trade show for purposes of the Franchise Investment Law.