FAQs

A University of Arizona licensed vendor is a business or corporation that is approved to print and produce merchandise that bears the University's marks. Being a licensed vendor means that you abide by the University's Labor Code of Conduct, have a royalty reporting structure in place, are part of a select group of vendors in that product category, and produce quality merchandise that is associated with the University's brand. The Office of Trademarks & Licensing manages this ever-evolving list of licensed vendors.

If your company only sells finished products and does not produce, alter, repackage, or finish collegiate products in any way, you are not required to have a license. Retailers should ensure that the collegiate products they purchase are produced by licensed vendors. Retailers who wish to screen or embroider their own products or source the products from an associated company must obtain a collegiate license. Visit imgcollegelicensing.com for more information on becoming licensed.

The licensing process can vary in length due to a number of factors outlined on IMGCL's Licensing Info page. Because the Restricted Licensee application process is streamlined, it is generally much faster. The Standard and Local application processes take varying amounts of time to complete based on the number of institutions being sought. Generally, the fewer the number of institutions requested, the more expeditious the application process. In the spirit of fairness, we cannot accommodate “rush” requests as all requests are treated equally and on a first-come, first-served basis.

The University's licensing agent, IMG College Licensing, has extensive information on their website detailing collegiate licensing. These web pages, combined with this FAQs section and the IMGCL’s FAQs section, should answer most of the questions you may have about the licensing process. Additional questions can be directed via email to applications@clc.com.

Obtaining an Arizona license will require a great deal of thought, research and commitment. With hundreds of companies already licensed to produce a wide range of products, only those companies that can exhibit a commitment to the collegiate market, have established production and distribution capabilities, and/or offer a new or unique product will likely be granted the opportunity to obtain a license. Please visit imgcollegelicensing.com to begin the process.

A trademark is any word, phrase, symbol, design, sound, smell, color, product configuration, group of letters or numbers, or combination of these, adopted and used by a company to identify its products or services, and distinguish them from products and services made, sold, or provided by others.

The primary purpose of trademarks is to prevent consumers from becoming confused about the source or origin of a product or service. Trademarks help consumers answer the questions: "Who makes this product?" and, "Who provides this service?". As consumers become familiar with particular marks and the goods or services they represent, marks can acquire a "secondary meaning," such as indicators of quality. Certain common words and geographical locations can also acquire secondary meaning and are afforded protection under the trademark law. "ARIZONA" is a geographical location, but it has also become a trademark for the University of Arizona.

Trademarks help consumers answer another question: "Is this product or service a good one to purchase?" It is obvious to most people that the University of Arizona does not make all or most of the manufactured products that carry the university's trademarks. Through the University's licensing program, companies have been authorized (licensed) to utilize the trademarks on a variety of goods and services. The University's willingness to license these manufacturers or service providers extends to them very valuable intellectual property assets that provide consumers with access to products that they associate with the University.

A trademark license grants individuals, organizations or corporations authorization to produce commercial goods or services bearing the university's trademarks. Visit the Get Licensed page for details and available license types.

Royalty Rate – the percentage collected by a licensor for the use of its mark.

  • 15% royalty will apply if the item being produced is ordered by a University unit
  • 15% royalty will apply if the item being produced is intended for retail (i.e., resold for profit)
  • 18% royalty will apply if the artwork includes one or more sponsor logos – regardless of whether the item will be sold or not.

There is no royalty applied for:

  1. Non-resale print items purchased by the University of Arizona for its exclusive use (such as brochures, letterhead, business cards, etc.) that do not include one or more sponsor/outside corporate logos;
  2. Artwork that does not include an official University of Arizona logo/mark. Please email licensing@arizona.edu to see if your order falls into this category.

Anyone who wishes to produce commercial goods or services that bear university trademarks must obtain a license to do so.