Managing the Brand: Administrative Structure of the Hidden Profession of Collegiate Trademark Licensing

This study analyzes the current state of collegiate trademark licensing departments through first-hand accounts from current or past licensing professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand current issues that are facing the licensing industry, particularly focusing on internal organizational structure of collegiate trademark licensing departments at institutes of higher education. Eleven participants, including licensing agents, licensees, licensing directors, and licensing experts were interviewed and the following themes emerged. Trademark licensing is a hidden profession, with little education available about the industry. Programs have greatly evolved over recent decades, but institutional infrastructure still lags in the appropriate assets and resources to sustain a growing program. Licensing directors have strong professional relationships with others in the field, but often have difficulty receiving buy-in to licensing objectives from their internal peers. A strong sense of ‘university’ versus ‘athletics’ exists, causing confusion and discrepancy in managing the multi-faceted licensing objectives.