Licensing - a tale of woe

[MikeDingas]

I foolishly requested permission to make/sell a piece using a Georgia Tech image. What a joke!

I downloaded a license packet consisting of 34 pages of instructions and forms. Not a good sign. It got worse pretty quick.

The packet provided an interest stat. Nearly 6000 downloads of the packet of which about 700 followed through by submitting the forms. Of those less than 400 were approved. And 50% of businesses licenced were out of business in 18 months. Not looking good at all!

Fees. Good lord you should see the fees. Application fees, license fees, advance payments, insurance (would you believe for a million bucks!), hologram logo fees (must be attached to the piece), Fair Labor Association monitoring fees. Total fees ranged from $600 to $6,300!

And then there is the application process itself. All three phases of it...

Phase I

1) Determine if a collegiate license makes sense for your company/product
2) Consider participating in the New Product Inquiry Process (see enclosed form)
3) Complete the License Application
4) Pay the Application Fee via check or money order
5) Provide a quality sample of your merchandise for which you are requesting licensure (including example of type of application your product will incorporate. For example, embroidery, screenprint, etching, etc.)
6) Provide an example of how your company name will be applied to product (company label)
7) Provide a Marketing & Distribution Plan
8) Complete and submit the MyiCLC Registration Form
9) Review insurance information and obtain a quote from your insurance agent/carrier

Phase II

10) Obtain insurance and provide CLC with proof of acquisition
11) Register for Logos on Demand (highly recommended, required by some institutions) or request camera-ready artsheet from CLC
12) Submit initial institution-specific product/design via MyiCLC or via a Product/Design Approval Form (for Local Licensees that are not required to use the design submission section of MyiCLC)
13) Complete and send Product Specification Sheet(s) to CLC
14) Provide CLC with Authorized Manufacturers Agreements from all applicable suppliers/finishers that will be used
throughout the product manufacturing process
15) Pre-order “Officially Licensed Collegiate Product” hologram labels or hangtags through J. Patton
16) Provide finished product samples for the applicable institutions that maintain this requirement

Phase III

17) Disclose factory site locations to CLC
18) Sign CLC’s Special Labor Code Agreement
19) Pay royalty advances and administrative fees via check for all applicable institutions
20) Review and sign the CLC License Agreement and send it to CLC for full execution
21) Hologram labels will be shipped by J. Patton once the CLC License Agreement is fully executed by CLC

Since I doubt I would make more than 200 items, much less sell all of them quickly, I would not even recoup the expenses. Seems like the process is geared to eliminate us small guys/gals.

Anyway, I thought some here might find this tale interesting.

[JohnB]

G'day Mike,
If a marriage licence was that complicated there might just be a lot more single blokes

[Jediscroller]

That's a shame Mike. I had the same problem here with UCONN. Some schools do offer a crafter's license which is much cheaper (Wisconsin only charges $50). These licenses certainly aren't geared toward the small reseller.

John,
You may be on to something there.

[greatdane2]

It sounds like Georgia Tech has a Law School with bored students and teachers.
Alan.

[HAMMER]

Great Dane 2 has hit it on the head I do believe....Are you sure this wasn't some student's school project on how to baffel you with b.s......

Tuition will go up since I don't see licensing fee coming in.....

[greatdane2]

There was a story on CNN.( if you belive them) anyway they were saying a lot of colleges in the US are not charging tuition now we know why.

[knothead]

Hell Mike, it might be cheaper and less confusing just to do it and see what happens. Whats life without a little excitement.

I won't say what University; but through a friend of mine, they are selling some of my work using their own Logo in the book store. What can they say if they figure it out? DAAAAAAA!

Tom