Mississippi Valley State University

Trademark Licensing

Purpose:

The Purpose of the Office of Trademark Licensing is to serve as the headquarters for the day-to-day monitoring of the use of all materials that bear Mississippi Valley State University's names, symbols and marks. It is also the responsibility of the Trademark and Licensing Office to enter into contractual agreements with manufacturers and distributors of MVSU products. These contracts will protect the university in that they require each company to have a minimum of $1 million of product liability insurance with Mississippi Valley State University listed as an additional insured on the policy. They also generate revenue in that licensees pay a royalty fee of 7.5% to the Licensing Department for the use of the university's trademarks.

Policy:

The Mississippi Valley State University's Trademark Licensing Department will control the use of all the University's trademarks by monitoring how people or companies use them, as well as by the refusal to grant a renewal of the contract of a licensee who misuses the marks. If a company or person uses any mark of the University without the permission of the Licensing Department, that company or person will be asked to refrain from infringing upon the University's rights or property. Immediately after the University's request for the company to stop any acts of infringement, the University will complete an Infringement Report for its records and send the company a Cease and Desist Letter.

It is also the policy of the Licensing Department that all purchases within the University that bear any of the University's marks are purchased from a licensed manufacturer.

The Licensing Process:

- Contacting The University:

A company that wishes to become a licensed manufacturer of the University must contact the Trademark Licensing Department. The Licensing Department will sometimes contact a prospective manufacturer about coming on board as a licensed manufacturer of the University.