You may purchase products with the Cal Poly logo as long as the manufacturer of those products is a licensee of the university. Be sure to ask the seller of the product, or view our list of product sellers who have a license with the university.
No. The manufacturer that makes the product for you must be licensed, not the support group.
A licensee is a person or organization who has been granted the right, under certain conditions, to use the trademarks and service marks of California Polytechnic State University.
Using a licensed manufacturer ensures quality, consistency and appropriateness of design on the goods.
Copyrights, service marks, and trademarks are among Cal Poly’s foremost assets and must be treated with care to remain viable.
No.
Yes. Whether or not a product is going to be resold has no bearing on the need for the university to have licenses in place with all third parties who are reproducing the Cal Poly name or marks.
A license agreement is the legal contract that governs the relationship between the manufacturer of products bearing Cal Poly marks (“licensee”) and the Cal Poly Corporation (“licensor”). The license must be in place prior to any sales and marketing efforts the vendor may initiate.
A manufacturer downloads a form from IMG College and submits a completed application to IMG with representative (non-Cal Poly) product samples, price lists, and any other relevant information.
Depending upon the speed at which the vendor sends back the materials required for licensing, the process may take as little as three weeks or so and as much as several months.
Most products will be considered for licensing; however, the university reserves the right to decline to license any item. For example, tobacco products and firearms are not appropriate for licensing and will not be considered.
Yes. Generally an exemption may be granted for a (1) product purchased by the university or a university recognized student club or organization for internal consumption or for sale at cost to their members, and (2) for advertising rights to use the marks as granted in corporate sponsor agreements. Note that promotional products given away are considered product for internal consumption unless given in exchange for a donation.
Yes. In order to streamline the process, the form titled Request to Use the Cal Poly Name should be completed and submitted along with the proposed artwork to the Office of Trademark Licensing, Attn: Sasha Palazzo. This allows Cal Poly to pre-approve the artwork prior to it being submitted to the licensed manufacturer. Once the manufacturer receives the order along with a copy of the approved form and artwork, the final approval process can be expedited.
The university is committed to protecting and preserving its trademark rights, as failure to do so could result in the loss of those rights. Any commercial use of university marks without a trademark license is addressed promptly and can result in merchandise confiscation and or by legal action if necessary. Please advise the Trademark Licensing Coordinator of potential unlicensed product sales.
References to the university name or marks by news media for informational purposes to identify the university are not subject to the licensing program. A reference to university name or marks in advertising by retailers or manufacturers requires the university’s approval.
Photographs of campus scenes or monuments are considered for informational use and are not subject to the licensing program unless they feature the university name or marks and exploited commercially. The use of such photographs on commercial products requires approval by the Licensing Coordinator and may require licensure.
The royalty proceeds are used in furtherance of the licensing program, e.g. costs associated with registering and maintaining the marks. A portion of the royalty proceeds also are dedicated to supporting student scholarships.