The Univ. of Oregon for the better part of three decades has operated its own trademark licensing program. And the school, with a big assist from Nike, had done pretty well, making between $4-5M in licensing revenue last year. That level of income would rank UO near the top 10 universities in licensing. But within the past few years, as the school has grown from a regional brand to more of a national brand, officials at UO decided that licensing was getting so big that it might need an outside agency to help, especially in areas like enforcement and auditing. That is what led to UO's announcement yesterday that it has struck a seven-year deal that makes Fermata Partners the school’s trademark licensing agency, effective immediately. UO chose Atlanta-based Fermata over Collegiate Licensing Co. “With our long history of being independent and our unique relationship with Nike, we were really looking for a partnership,” school AD Rob Mullens said. “The partners at Fermata are widely viewed as industry experts and there was a real trust in their leadership and expertise as the utmost authorities. That trust is a huge factor.” The UO deal also represents another big win for Fermata and its team of former CLC execs. Managing Dir Derek Eiler and partner Chris Prindiville took the lead on signing the school. Prindiville is an Oregon graduate. Fermata has signed four major college properties since June, with Georgia, Kentucky and Miami, in addition to UO. “The university has built a successful independent program and we look forward to growing the Oregon brand well into the future,” Prindiville said. Financial terms of the deal were not available. Licensing deals typically pay the school 10-15% on the wholesale cost of the product, depending on the arrangement. They sometimes include a signing bonus as well.
