Licensing
Introduction
The Johns Hopkins University name and marks are some of our most important assets. All members of our university community have a responsibility to protect and promote our brand in a manner consistent with our reputation of academic and research excellence.
The Johns Hopkins Trademark Licensing Program helps protect and promote our brand by ensuring that the public can properly identify and associate the university’s name and logos. The university requires that all members of the university community (faculty, students, staff, and alumni), as well as all external manufacturers and vendors, obtain approval before producing any apparel or merchandise product that displays the Johns Hopkins name or logo.
Items produced by licensed vendors that include the Johns Hopkins name and/or logos or are paid for with university funds are automatically shared with the University Communications Licensing Manager for review. It is best practice to plan for five to seven business days for licensing review.
University Communications cannot influence the speed to which vendors submit their artwork for review. Once University Communications receives artwork from a vendor, it will typically be reviewed within 1-2 business days. In some cases, additional stakeholders must review, or changes may be required to the artwork, which will increase review times.
The most effective way to expedite your order is to make sure your artwork aligns to brand guidelines before submitting to your vendor.
Approved Licensed Vendors
All manufacturers and vendors currently licensed to produce merchandise using the Johns Hopkins University official logos can be found on the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) website.
Internal Merchandise
To help expedite and ease orders for internal giveaways, University Communications launched the Johns Hopkins brand store. Staff can login using their JHED ID to order items specific to their respective division. Items have been selected based on previous order history.
You are also welcome to create custom items from a licensed vendor of your choice. When creating custom merchandise, it is essential to follow the brand guidelines on the University logo and Use of Name.
Secondary graphics (ex. illustrations or unique typographic messages) are permitted on merchandise designs. Keep in mind that the distinction between a logo and a secondary graphic is ultimately defined in the context of use. When incorporating secondary graphics, consider the sample placements and best practice examples shown here.
Common secondary graphic placement pairings on merch:
- Shirt with small front chest logo imprint paired with a full back imprint illustration or message.
- Shirt with small sleeve logo imprint paired with full front imprint of illustration or message.
- Front and back sides of a mug or water bottle with logo on one side and illustration or message on the reverse side.
External Merchandise
For individuals seeking to purchase one-off branded items, visit the Barnes and Noble Spirit Shop for a constantly changing collection of branded merchandise. The spirit shop is managed by Barnes and Noble with oversight from University Communications.
For branded merchandise specific to a unique division or department, individual online pop-up shops can considered. Pop-Up shops require collaboration with University Communications to first align on the audience and offering of items with respect to the overarching University licensing strategy and previous agreements. For example, Johns Hopkins Athletics have a pop-up shop specific to exclusive athlete merchandise.
Vendor Licensing
Johns Hopkins University uses Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) as its primary licensing agent. CLC’s role encompasses the following:
- Facilitates the licensing process for licensees;
- Executes licensing agreements;
- Markets the university brand to potential manufacturers;
- Monitors the marketplace for unlicensed use of trademarks;
- Collects royalties;
- Conducts compliance review audits of licensed manufacturers.
The university offers two types of licenses:
- Retail – Allows a company to produce products bearing the trademarks of collegiate institutions for sale at retail in approved retail channels and direct to consumers, as well as university departments and related entities.
- Internal – Allows a company to create product bearing the trademarks of collegiate institutions for university departments and related entities for internal consumption only; cannot provide products at retailer direct to consumer.
To create products bearing the marks of Johns Hopkins University, manufacturers and vendors must be a licensee of the university. To get started, download an application packet from CLC. The application contains instructions on how to complete the application phase of licensing, as well as information that licensees will need to retain throughout the course of the licensing process. All licensees are required to remit royalty reports and payments on a quarterly basis to CLC, who collects these payments on behalf of Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins University has established a royalty rate. Information on the services CLC provides, including a copy of an application and license agreement, can be found at clc.com.
