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Trademark Licensing

The university’s trademark licensing program protects the use of the university’s names, logos, slogans, insignias, symbols, and mascots.

University fiscal policy requires that one of the university-contracted licensed vendors be used to produce any merchandise that bears a university trademark. Merchandise is any item that you produce with the intent of using as a promotional giveaway or for resale. This does not include printed communications, such as notepads, posters, brochures, booklets, etc. University Printing and Mail (UPM) has a variety of university-branded print items for sale—folders, notecards, yard signs, stationery, etc.—and can also print just about anything you need!

The Office of Trademark Licensing monitors commercial and internal use of our trademarks. The Office of Communications and Marketing does not grant contracts to vendors; we work with the licensing office to review merchandise designs to ensure consistent and appropriate use.


Get List of Licensees





Licensed Marks

Below is a partial list of official trademarks of the university. The Office of Trademark Licensing maintains a complete list, as well as official licensing art sheets.


Logos and Graphics

Power T logo
Lady Vols logo
Smokey mascot
Orange and white checkerboard
University seal
Winged UT system logo
Institutional wordmarks


Verbiage

University of Tennessee
Tennessee
Volunteers
Lady Volunteers

Vols
Lady Vols

Go Vols
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
UT
Big Orange
Big Orange Country
Go Big Orange
Big Orange. Big Ideas.
Vol for Life
VFL
Rocky Top (requires special license)







Contracted Licensed Vendors

The Office of Trademark Licensing partners with with the Collegiate Licensing Company to administer the university’s licensing program. Vendors are licensed by CLC, which ensures licensees meet a variety of product-quality and fair-labor standards.

When ordering merchandise for your campus department or unit, you must select a vendor from this list:

Bacon and Company

Blink Marketing

Graphic Creations

PatDome Promotions

Staples

Threds

4Imprint

 

University Printing and Mail can also be used to order promotional items.




Promotions and Sponsorships

How outside organizations can acknowledge promotional relationships with or sponsorship of university activities is defined by university fiscal policy and summarized below. All requests for use of university trademarks by outside organizations for promotion or sponsorship purposes should be directed to the Office of Trademark Licensing.

Promotion

A promotion is when the university grants another entity the rights to conduct an activity or event that involves advertising and promotional uses of the university’s trademarks.

Sponsorship

A sponsorship is when the university grants another entity or sponsor the rights to associate with the university or with an event conducted by the university. The purpose of the association is to directly promote the university or the university event and to indirectly enhance the sale of the sponsor’s products or services. Generally, the sponsor agrees to pay or to provide products or services in exchange for the right to associate itself commercially with the university or event.