Licensing & Trademarks

What is a trademark?

As defined by the US Patents & Trademarks Office, “a trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.” A trademark need not be registered in order to have protectable rights to it, simply by using or displaying a mark acquires automatic trademark rights to the owner.

Who needs a license?

Anyone or any business/organization wishing to use the University’s trademarks or verbiage on any product must have a license before offering the product/goods for sale. This also includes sale to University departments, campus organizations and student recognized organizations. Premiums, promotions and advertising are included as well.

How to apply for a license?

The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) is the University of Minnesota athletic department’s licensing representative/agent. CLC assists us in processing licensing applications for all companies that wish to produce branded products that are sold at retail or for campus departments and student groups. There are two types of licenses that can be attained through CLC:

Retail – Allows a company to produce products bearing the trademarks of collegiate institutions for sale at retail in approved retail channels and direct to consumer, as well as university departments and related entities.

Internal – Allows a company to produce product bearing the trademarks of collegiate institutions for university departments and related entities for internal consumption only; cannot provide product at retailer direct to consumer.

If you are interested in obtaining a license, please work with CLC.

1. Submit your application to CLC at https://clc.com/home/get-licensed. The application will be reviewed to ensure that all needed paperwork has been submitted and then forwarded on to us.
2. Depending upon the time of year that the application has been submitted, it can take up to six to eight weeks for us to review your application. Though other factors are considered when reviewing new licensing requests, us reviews all applications based on the following key criteria:
   a. Company business plan
   b. Sales history
   c. Previous licensing experience
   d. Product uniqueness
   e. Appropriateness of product
   f. Product viability/market demand
   g. Current retail relationships (for prospective Retail licensees only)
3. CLC will alert you when we have made its decision regarding your application.

Guidelines for University Departments & Student Organizations

University Departments and Student Organizations are required to use a licensed vendor for promotional items and/or giveaways. You can find a list of our licensed vendors here: clc.com/license-search

Marketing & Branding Guidelines

The Marketing & Branding Guidelines are maintained by University Relations. You can find guidelines and resources here: university-relations.umn.edu/our-brand. If you have any questions about the Marketing & Brand Guidelines, you may contact University Relations at brand@umn.edu

Helpful Contact Information

Mike Wierzbicki
Sr. Associate Athletics Director, External Affairs
mwierzbi@umn.edu