Notre Dame has finalized an agreement with Atlanta-based Fermata Partners to begin management of the school's trademark licensing program, effective July 1. Notre Dame currently has 210 licensees that will begin the contract transition process immediately. The school becomes the fifth university to align with Fermata, joining Kentucky, Georgia, Oregon and Miami, all of which have partnered with the firm in the past year. This marks Fermata's first major collegiate deal
since being acquired by CAA. Notre Dame was previously with CLC (
THE DAILY).
BATTLE GROUND: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Michael Smith reports Alabama signed a 10-year extension with CLC for exclusive licensing that will pay the school "in the neighborhood" of $100M, making Alabama "one of the few schools to receive a guarantee rather than a royalty." Alabama AD Bill Battle founded CLC nearly 35 years ago. Learfield Licensing Partners and Fermata Partners "also pursued the Tide’s licensing rights." Alabama "ranks first among CLC’s best-selling schools in the most recent release, just ahead of Texas." During Alabama’s run of national football championships in '09, '11 and '12, CLC helped the school make $5M "in incremental revenue." Michigan is "one of the few other schools that receives guaranteed revenue from its licensing deal." CLC pledged $83.5M to UM "over 10 years in a deal struck last October" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/29 issue). In Birmingham, Michael Casagrande noted Alabama was CLC's "first client" in '81. The most recent financial report filed with the NCAA shows Alabama in '13-14 earned $15.4M "through licensing, royalties and advertisements." That is "up considerably in the past decade considering that revenue stream brought in just" $1.1M in '04-05. The school's revenue "jumped the most" after the '09 national football title. It brought in $3.7M "the year before" and $9.3M in '09-10 (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 6/30).
