Also because the franchises weren't sold with an expiration date so for the manufacturers to start selling direct might be some kind of a breach of contract. B

Also because the franchises weren't sold with an expiration date so for the manufacturers to start selling direct might be some kind of a breach of contract. But it'd take FOREVER to play out in the courts, and made worse by the fact that it's a national thing so you might not be able to consolidate it all down to one case in one federal court. It might be 50 class action suits in 50 states with several different outcomes.