Franchise_Disclosure_Documents / README.md

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dataset_info:
  title: Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Dataset
  author: Yonathan A. Arbel
  contact: yaarbel@ua.edu
  license: MIT
  citation: |
    Arbel, Yonathan A. "The Readability of Contracts: Big Data Analysis."
    Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 21, no. 4 (2024): 927-978.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/jels.12400
  description: >
    Comprehensive collection of Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) from
    various U.S. states. One of the largest publicly available FDD datasets to
    date, useful for empirical legal research, NLP, and franchise law analysis.

Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Dataset

This repository provides a comprehensive dataset of Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) from several U.S. states. It represents one of the largest publicly available collections of FDDs to date.

If you use this dataset, please cite:

Arbel, Yonathan A. (2024). "The Readability of Contracts: Big Data Analysis." Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 21(4), 927ΓÇô978. DOI: 10.1111/jels.12400

Latest manuscript: SSRN

≡ƒôæ What are FDDs?

Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) are legal documents franchisors must provide to potential franchisees before selling a franchise. FDDs contain essential information about the franchisor, franchise system, and terms of the franchise agreement. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) mandates these documents to ensure prospective franchisees make informed investment decisions.

≡ƒôé Dataset Overview

The dataset contains 22,986 text files (.txt) organized by U.S. state, as follows:

State	Number of files	ZIP Archive
California	15,276	`CA_FDD_split.zip` + `.z01ΓÇô.z03`
Wisconsin	1,660	`WN_FDD.zip`
Indiana	1,606	`ind_fdd.zip`
New York	1,396 (1,394 in New_York, 2 in New York)	`FDD_in_TXT_Format.zip`
North Dakota	1,376 (1,374 in North_Dakota, 2 in North Dakota)	Inside `FDD_in_TXT_Format.zip`
Virginia	753	`NASAA_FDD.zip`
Minnesota	568	`mn_fdd.zip`
South Dakota	169 (167 in South_Dakota, 2 in South Dakota)	Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`
Maryland	111	Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`
Rhode Island	48 (47 in Rhode_Island, 1 in Rhode Island)	Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`
Illinois	23	Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`

Total files: 22,986 Compressed size: Approximately 108 GB

≡ƒ¢á∩╕Å File Structure & Data Format

Each ZIP archive contains plain-text (.txt) documents representing individual FDDs, organized into folders by state.

For multi-part archives (California):
- Download all parts (.zip, .z01, .z02, .z03) into the same folder.
- Open CA_FDD_split.zip with 7-Zip or run:
```
7z x CA_FDD_split.zip
```
- 7-Zip will automatically include the .z01, .z02, etc.

≡ƒôê Suggested Usage

This dataset supports diverse research activities:

Analysis of contract terms and readability.
Comparative franchise law studies.
NLP analysis of legal and contractual language.
Trends and policy implications within franchising.

ΓÜá∩╕Å Disclaimer

This dataset is compiled from publicly available FDD documents. Efforts were made to ensure accuracy, but users should verify critical information against original sources. Dataset maintainers are not responsible for errors or omissions.

≡ƒÖï Contributing

Please report issues or suggest improvements by opening an issue or pull request.

≡ƒô£ License

This dataset is provided under the MIT license. No copyright is claimed over the underlying public documents.

≡ƒôº Contact

For inquiries or additional information, contact: yaarbel@ua.edu