Knoxville – Hours before the kickoff of the Tennessee-Southern Mississippi game Saturday, University of Tennessee police and representatives from The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) will canvas areas of the city and the campus in search of counterfeit Tennessee merchandise.
The licensing coordinator for the University of Tennessee said they will be out in force.
“When we go out and do enforcement, we will be blanketing the Cumberland Avenue area and the vicinity of Neyland Stadium,” Brian Beardsley said. “But we also look at more permanent stores as well, like specialty shops and shopping malls.”
Counterfeit merchandise is any product bearing the logos and marks of UT that has not been approved for sale by the University. When purchasing Tennessee merchandise consumers should always look for the following characteristics to ensure the merchandise they purchase is officially licensed:
– The merchandise should depict University of Tennessee logos and marks in a tasteful manner, as distasteful designs are not approved by the University.
– All officially licensed merchandise should display the red and blue round “Officially Licensed Collegiate Products” logo.
– The tag in the garment should be intact. A torn or missing tag is evidence of a second-hand garment.
– All merchandise should have the appropriate trademark designations next to a specific name or design.
– All merchandise should bear the name of the manufacturer somewhere on the product.
Unlicensed merchandise undermines the standards of quality established by the university, and the control Tennessee has over its logos.
Collegiate Licensing Company, founded by former UT football coach Bill Battle, is the exclusive licensing representative for The University of Tennessee, and is responsible for protecting the use of logos and marks which are owned by the University.