(815 ILCS 705/3) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1703)

Sec. 3. Definitions. As used in this Act:

(1) "Franchise" means a contract or agreement, either expressed or implied, whether oral or written, between two or more persons by which:

(a) a franchisee is granted the right to engage in the business of offering, selling, or distributing goods or services, under a marketing plan or system prescribed or suggested in substantial part by a franchisor; and

(b) the operation of the franchisee's business pursuant to such plan or system is substantially associated with the franchisor's trademark, service mark, trade name, logotype, advertising, or other commercial symbol designating the franchisor or its affiliate; and

(c) the person granted the right to engage in such business is required to pay to the franchisor or an affiliate of the franchisor, directly or indirectly, a franchise fee of $500 or more;

Provided that this Act shall not apply to any of the following persons, entities or relationships which may involve or acquire a franchise or any interest in a franchise:

(i) any franchised business which is operated by the franchisee on the premises of the franchisor or subfranchisor as long as such franchised business is incidental to the business conducted by the franchisor or subfranchisor at such premises, including, without limitation, leased departments and concessions; or

(ii) a fractional franchise. A "fractional franchise" means any relationship in which the person described therein as a franchisee, or any of the current directors or executive officers thereof, has been in the type of business represented by the franchise relationship for more than 2 years and the parties anticipated, or should have anticipated, at the time the agreement establishing the franchise relationship was reached, that the sales arising from the relationship would represent no more than 20% of the sales in dollar volume of the franchisee for a period of at least one year after the franchisee begins selling the goods or services involved in the franchise; or

(iii) a franchise agreement for the use of a trademark, service mark, trade name, logotype, advertising, or other commercial symbol designating a person who offers on a general basis, for a fee or otherwise, a bona fide service for the evaluation, testing, or certification of goods, commodities, or services; or

(iv) a franchise relationship covered by the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. 2801.

(2) "Franchisee" means a person to whom a franchise is granted and includes, unless stated otherwise in this Act: (a) a subfranchisor with regard to its relationship with a franchisor and (b) a subfranchisee with regard to its relationship with a subfranchisor.

(3) "Franchisor" means a person who grants a franchise and includes a subfranchisor with regard to its relationship with a franchisee, unless stated otherwise in this Act.

(4) "Subfranchise" means any contract or agreement between a franchisor and a subfranchisor whereby the subfranchisor is granted the right, in consideration of the payment of a franchise fee in whole or in part for such right, to sell or negotiate the sale of franchises. Where used in this Act, unless specifically stated otherwise, "franchise" includes "subfranchise."

(5) "Subfranchisor" means a person to whom the right to sell or negotiate the sale of subfranchises is granted.

(6) "Order" means a consent, authorization, approval, prohibition, or requirement applicable to a specific case issued by the Attorney General Administrator.

(7) "Person" means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a joint venture, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, or an unincorporated organization.

(8) "Rule" means any published regulation or standard of general application issued by the Administrator.

(9) "Sale" or "sell" includes every contract or agreement of sale of, contract to sell, or disposition of, a franchise or interest in a franchise for value.

(10) "State" means the State of Illinois.

(11) "Fraud" and "deceit" are not limited to common law fraud or deceit.

(12) "Offer" or "offer to sell" includes every attempt to offer to dispose of, or solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise, any interest in a franchise or an option to acquire a franchise for value.

(13) "Publish" means publicly to issue or circulate by newspaper, mail, radio, or television, or otherwise to disseminate to the public.

(14) "Franchise fee" means any fee or charge that a franchisee is required to pay directly or indirectly for the right to enter into a business or sell, resell, or distribute goods, services or franchises under an agreement, including, but not limited to, any such payment for goods or services, provided that the Administrator may by rule define what constitutes an indirect franchise fee, and provided further that the following shall not be considered the payment of a franchise fee: (a) the payment of a reasonable service charge to the issuer of a credit card by an establishment accepting or honoring such credit card; (b) amounts paid to a trading stamp company by a person issuing trading stamps in connection with the retail sale of merchandise or services; (c) the purchase or agreement to purchase goods for which there is an established market at a bona fide wholesale price; (d) the payment for fixtures necessary to operate the business; (e) the payment of rent which reflects payment for the economic value of the property; or (f) the purchase or agreement to purchase goods for which there is an established market at a bona fide retail price subject to a bona fide commission or compensation plan. The Administrator may by rule define what shall constitute an established market.

(15) "Disclosure statement" means the document provided for in Section 16 of this Act and all amendments to such document.

(16) "Write" or "written" shall include printed, lithographed or any other means of graphic communication.

(17) (Blank).

(18) "Marketing plan or system" means a plan or system relating to some aspect of the conduct of a party to a contract in conducting business, including but not limited to (a) specification of price, or special pricing systems or discount plans, (b) use of particular sales or display equipment or merchandising devices, (c) use of specific sales techniques, (d) use of advertising or promotional materials or cooperation in advertising efforts; provided that an agreement is not a marketing plan or system solely because a manufacturer or distributor of goods reserves the right to occasionally require sale at a special reduced price which is advertised on the container or packaging material in which the product is regularly sold, if the reduced price is absorbed by the manufacturer or distributor.

(19) "Administrator" means the Illinois Attorney General.

(20) (a) An offer to sell a franchise is made in this State when the offer either originates from this State or is directed by the offeror to this State and received at the place to which it is directed. An offer to sell is accepted in this State when acceptance is communicated to the offeror in this State; and acceptance is communicated to the offeror in this State when the offeree directs it to the offeror in this State reasonably believing the offeror to be in this State and it is received at the place to which it is directed.

(b) An offer to sell a franchise is not made in this State merely because the franchisor circulates or there is circulated in this State an advertisement in (i) a bona fide newspaper or other publication of general, regular and paid circulation which has had more than 2/3 of its circulation outside this State during the past 12 months, or (ii) a radio or television program originating outside this State which is received in this State.

(21) "Franchise broker" means any person engaged in the business of representing a franchisor in offering for sale or selling a franchise and is not a franchisor, an affiliate of a franchisor or an officer, director or employee of a franchisor or an affiliate of a franchisor with respect to such franchise. A franchisee shall not be a franchise broker merely because it receives a payment from the franchisor in consideration of the referral of a prospective franchisee to the franchisor, if the franchisee does not otherwise participate in the sale of a franchise to the prospective franchisee. A franchisee shall not be deemed to participate in a sale merely because he responds to an inquiry from a prospective franchisee.

(22) "Salesperson" means any person employed by or representing a franchise broker, a franchisor or an affiliate of the franchisor in effecting or attempting to effect the offer or sale of a franchise.

(Source: P.A. 96-648, eff. 10-1-09.)