Iowa State University


Inside Iowa State
March 3, 2000

A Cyclone by any other name just won't do

by Anne Krapfl
Shopping is a different experience for Nita Lovejoy than for a lot of us. She can't help it. Lovejoy, who has directed Iowa State's 15-year-old trademark licensing program since 1990, said she's always checking school merchandise to see if it's properly licensed -- even when it's not an Iowa State product.

"Once you're involved in this, once you know what it's all about, you're always looking," she said, laughing at herself.

The trademark licensing program grants permission to non- university groups to use the Iowa State name or logos. Most requests are for products small businesses want to sell. But don't be fooled into thinking this is a story about sweatshirts and baseball caps. Add lawn chairs, golf putters, Christmas candles, playing cards, salsa, dishes, glassware, popcorn, trash cans, afghans, baby bottles, chocolates, mailboxes, throw pillows, welcome mats, yard thermometers, an OSHA-approved hard hat, beverage trays, bedroom lamps, pasta, video games, mantel clocks, cookie mix, barbecue utensils, ice cream, gumballs and garden stepping stones -- to name a few.

At any time, 450 to 470 companies are licensed to sell products carrying an ISU mark; roughly a third are Iowa companies, according to Leesha Zimmerman, who coordinates the trademark license program and works daily with the licensees. Most of the interest is in the Cyclone athletic logos, but Iowa State has registered 17 marks with the federal government, including the university seal, the campanile, "ISU" and the "IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY" name.

When Iowa State registers a mark as a trademark, it is required to control who uses it, to assure quality and prevent confusion caused by "knock-off" products -- those bearing graphics of school logos or names that aren't the real deal. If Iowa State failed to monitor who uses its marks, it could lose its exclusive claim to them.

Licensed companies, typically wholesalers, report their sales quarterly to Lovejoy's office -- Iowa State University Research Foundation (ISURF) -- and pay a 7 percent royalty on their receipts.

Some license requests are for one-time events: 20 embroidered shirts given away as prizes at a golf outing, or the bridegroom who wanted his tuxedo vest sewn from Cyclone logo silk, for example.

Combined with proceeds from NCAA sales of products in the Pacific Rim, the licensing program brings $250,000 annually to the university. Part of the money helps run the trademark licensing program. The rest is shared with the athletic department and the Provost Office.

Lovejoy said obtaining a license for an ISU mark is not a competitive process.

"From the university's standpoint, we want people to have a variety of products," she said. "Even though they all have to meet certain quality guidelines, we want products that are in discount stores, as well as upscale department stores."

While she'll probably never stop critiquing merchandise when she's out shopping, Lovejoy admits she's a small part of the "police force."

"Our licensees are our biggest monitors," she said. "As much as anyone, they want things to be consistent, fair and equitable."

The trademark licensing program's Web site may help you find a specific product or the retailers who carry it. Visit the site at www.iastate.edu/~isurf/trade/trademark.html.

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Revise d 03/02/00