April 3, 2015
As the University of South Carolina prepares for this weekend’s Women’s Final Four games, the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), the licensing affiliate of IMG College, in close coordination with South Carolina and the NCAA®, is making preparations to clear the marketplace of potential counterfeit and unlicensed merchandise.
CLC, the exclusive trademark licensing agent for South Carolina, will work closely with the NCAA and Tampa Bay officials, as well as Homeland Security Investigations, to patrol the areas in search of counterfeit merchandise and any other unauthorized use of trademarks owned by South Carolina. All counterfeit merchandise is subject to seizure.
“By protecting the South Carolina brand, we are helping ensure that fans and consumers get high quality, authentic merchandise, the sale of which directly benefits the University,” said Bruce Siegal, CLC’s senior vice president and general counsel. “We will be teaming with law enforcement officials in the Indianapolis area in an effort to comprehensively cover the venue and event areas, stop counterfeiters, and safeguard customers from being sold inferior and counterfeit products.”
When purchasing South Carolina and Women’s Final Four merchandise, consumers should look for the following identifiers to ensure that the merchandise they purchase is officially licensed:
• All officially licensed merchandise should display the “Officially Licensed Collegiate Product” hologram somewhere on the product or hangtag.
• The merchandise should depict the South Carolina and NCAA marks in a tasteful manner, consistent with the designs and school depictions approved by South Carolina and the NCAA.
• The tag on the garment should be intact. A torn or missing tag is evidence of a second-hand garment, one that probably would not meet the stringent quality standards put in place by South Carolina and the NCAA.
• All merchandise should bear the name of the manufacturer on the product, either in the form of a hangtag, a neck label, or screen-printed directly on the garment.
• All merchandise should have the appropriate trademark designations (i.e., TM) next to a specific name or design.
Royalties generated from the sale of “Officially Licensed Collegiate Products” go back to South Carolina to support scholarships and other vital programs and initiatives on campus.
