University of Oklahoma Athletics
Purchase Officially Licensed Products
December 09, 2008 | Athletics
NORMAN, Okla. -- With the announcement of the University of Oklahoma's s participation in the BCS National Championship Game, the university is reminding fans to seek only officially licensed products.
Officially licensed products benefit OU monetarily, while ensuring that the customer is receiving an item that meets the university's labor and manufacturing standards.
"The sale of merchandise containing our marks skyrockets when there are national championship implications," said OU Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione. "We encourage the public to purchase only those items that have been approved to protect themselves and the university from falling prey to those who would sell items, usually of lesser quality, without benefit to the University of Oklahoma."
"We are proud of the fact that we sustain our program without the aid of state tax dollars or student fees. The revenue derived from our licensing program is paramount to our financial success so we encourage our fans to enjoy officially licensed items and to help support the Sooners all at the same time."
The characteristics of those licensed products include
the following:
• All officially licensed merchandise display
the Officially Licensed Collegiate Product hologram
somewhere on the product or hangtag.
• The merchandise depicts Oklahoma logos and marks
in a manner that is acceptable to the university's
review process.
• The tag on the garment is intact. A torn or
missing tag is evidence of a second-hand garment, one
that probably would not meet the quality standards
in place at the university.
• All merchandise bears the name of the manufacturer
somewhere on the product, either in the form of a hangtag,
a neck label or screen-printed directly on the garment.
• All merchandise contains the appropriate trademark
designations (e.g. TM) next to a specific name or design.
A trademark is any mark, logo, symbol, nickname, letter(s), word(s) or a combination of these that are associated with the University. A design that could cause public confusion due to similarity to the University of Oklahoma's trademarks may be an infringement on the University's trademark rights.
The University of Oklahoma will be working with The Collegiate Licensing Company, and law enforcement in the state of Oklahoma to ensure that merchandise being sold is from officially licensed vendors.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA's DEPARTMENT of
TRADEMARK LICENSING
The University of Oklahoma Trademark Licensing Office's
duty is to protect and promote the University of Oklahoma's
prestigious reputation in the classroom and on the
field by ensuring proper usage of the university's
name and symbols.
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE LICENSING COMPANY
CLC is a division of a division of global sports and
entertainment company IMG. Founded in 1981, CLC is
the oldest and largest collegiate licensing agency
in the U.S. and currently represents nearly 200 colleges,
universities, bowl games, athletic conferences, The
Heisman Trophy and the NCAA. The mission of CLC is
to be the guiding force in collegiate trademark licensing
and one of the top sports licensing firms in the country.
CLC is dedicated to being a center of excellence in
providing licensing services of the highest quality
to its member institutions, licensees, retailers and
consumers. Headquartered in Atlanta (Ga.), CLC is a
full-service licensing representative, which employs
a staff of more than 80 licensing professionals who
provide full-service capabilities in brand protection,
brand management, and brand development. For more information
on CLC, visit: www.clc.com or www.imgworld.com.
