franchise

1. An agreement between a firm and another party in which the firm provides the other party with the right to use the firm's name and to sell or rent its products. Selling franchise rights is a method of expanding a business quickly with a minimum of capital. See also franchisee, franchisor.
2. A right granted to another party by a government to engage in certain types of business. For example, a firm may obtain a government franchise to supply certain public services within a limited geographic region.
3. A geographical area within which an individual or firm has the right to market a company's product or service. For example, a soft drink distributor may have the southern half of the state as its franchise.