Franchising has long been an integral part of the globalization of business and an important tool in the spread of investment. In this special issue of the Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business, practitioners who are specialized in franchising - its potentials as well as its pitfalls - provide reports on franchising developments in national systems such as Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France,Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Russia,Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and Turkey.