1. Why do colleges license their logos and names?
The biggest reason is to protect their brand. Colleges do not want anybody and everyone to use their logos/marks in fear that they’ll use them in a way that goes against what the university is trying to achieve from a brand perspective. When they license their logos and names, they retain control of how they are perceived- and that is something that they can leverage to ensure the highest quality product to generate revenue and gain fans’ trust and confidence.
2. Who runs the licensing program and what do they do?
More often than not, it’s a licensing agency like CLC or Affinity. Every school has a different approach to it though, so some are monitored through the school trademark office, and some smaller schools even operate as unlicensed. The NCAA comes into play for licenses such as National Championships.
3. How do you apply for a school license?
A large majority of schools use licensing agencies, so the application process goes directly through the portal that the agency has designed. It includes a series of parts including reason for requests, marketing plans, desired rights, estimated sales, potential customers, etc. Any type of relevant catalog, prebook, or pricing is often included as well. Once that is submitted, the school will review and make a decision on whether or not they will grant access to use their logos and marks.
5. Why do some designs get rejected or never show up at retail even though fans want them?
It's all up to the school. If they have particular protections on their logos or certain initiatives that they are focusing on over others, then they have the right to reject a design no matter who is pushing for them.
- Alex Martini, Licensing Analyst
