Bakers Delight Seeks Censorship Order

Attributes Downturn of Franchise Purchases to Public Internet Site

MELBOURNE, Australia (Blue MauMau) In an attempt to gain control of the Bakersdelightlies.com website Bakers Delight has laid a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) seeking an order that the domain name be transferred to Bakers Delight

This move by Bakers Delight coincides with the website encouraging its readers to make submissions to two Australian State Government inquiries into franchising. Already the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) into its conduct towards its franchisees and breaches of the Trade Practices Act, as well as numerous cases of negative media attention, Bakers Delight would be seeking to minimise any further negative exposure in the public arena into its conduct.

Bakersdelightlies.com was registered in June 2007 by a former franchisee. This site has gone on to be one of the most popular franchise commentary sites in Australia; with over 196,000 page downloads since inception. Both former and current franchisees, ex-employees and other interested parties use this website to tell of their experiences with Bakers Delight.

In their complaint Bakers Delight attribute the downturn in franchise enquiries to the website. In reality Bakers Delight has had negative exposure in all forms of media and as stated above are the subject of an ongoing ACCC investigation.

Furthermore Bakers Delight has made statements in its complaint rebutting allegations on the website. These statements by Bakers Delight are misleading and deceptive. Reading through the stories posted on the website show that the allegations are indeed the experiences of Bakers Delight franchisees.

A full copy of the Bakers Delight complaint to the WIPO is able to be downloaded from www.bakersdelightlies.com

Comments by the Blue Mau Mau community on this censorship tactic would be warmly welcomed.

Note: Bakers Delight is the world’s largest bakery franchise operating in Australia and New Zealand and trading under the name of COBS Bread in Canada and the United States.