CLC

What CLC does

Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) is the leading U.S. collegiate trademark licensing and marketing agency, founded in 1981 by Bill Battle and now operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Learfield. The company represents nearly 800 collegiate brands — including universities, athletic conferences, bowl games, the NCAA, and the College Football Playoff — securing multi-year agency agreements to manage trademark licensing, brand protection, retail development, and marketing activation on behalf of these institutions. Its revenue model is built on licensing royalties collected from over 4,000 licensed manufacturers producing officially licensed merchandise distributed through more than 100,000 retail channels nationwide, supplemented by fees for brand management, enforcement, and marketing services.

CLC's core technology stack comprises Brand Manager 360 (an online license management and design-approval workflow tool used by licensed manufacturers to submit product designs for institutional trademark approval), the Insights Portal (a proprietary analytics platform providing institution-specific program metrics), and the Logos on Demand service operated via JPatton Sports Marketing for digital asset distribution. The company describes its data platform as the most comprehensive in licensing, providing transparent, on-demand program management and analysis. CLC also operates specialized brands and platforms including College Vault (vintage-inspired merchandise), Licensing Partners International (LPI) for sports, nonprofit, and consumer brand licensing, K-12 School Licensing for primary and secondary education, and national marketing programs (College Colors Day, Holiday Cheer, National Tailgate Weekend, Hispanic Heritage Collection).

The company serves four customer segments: collegiate institutions (primary), consumer-product licensees, retailers, and 185 million+ college fans. Distribution occurs through campus bookstores, national retail chains (Dick's Sporting Goods, Academy Sports, Fanatics, Rally House), e-commerce storefronts, and event-based pop-up shops at marquee sporting events. CLC's go-to-market combines enterprise field sales to institutions with a formal licensee application process and event-driven marketing platforms that drive consumer demand for officially licensed merchandise. In 2025, CLC received the CIO 100 Award for technology leadership and innovation in licensing platforms.

Name

CLC

Legal name

Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC

Website

https://clc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CLC is the leading U.S. collegiate trademark licensing and marketing agency, representing nearly 800 collegiate brands including universities, the NCAA, and the College Football Playoff, generating royalty revenue through a network of over 4,000 licensed manufacturers and 100,000 retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collegiate Trademark Licensing Services

NAICS

Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Media Rights & Highlights Licensing (MPABANAE)

Keywords

• Collegiate trademark licensing
• Brand licensing agency
• Licensing management software
• Licensed merchandise programs
• Athletic brand licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Licensing Royalties: CLC generates revenue through trademark licensing representation for collegiate institutions, earning royalties from the sale of officially licensed merchandise bearing college trademarks. The company serves as the licensing agent for nearly 800 collegiate brands including universities, conferences, bowl games, the NCAA, and College Football Playoff.
2. Brand Licensing Services: Revenue generated from providing comprehensive licensing and marketing services to partner institutions including brand management strategies, retail development, marketing campaigns, and enforcement services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CLC is a collegiate trademark licensing agency that represents nearly 800 collegiate institutions, athletic conferences, bowls, and the NCAA, managing the licensing of their trademarks to a national network of 4,000+ manufacturers and 100,000+ authorized retailers. The company operates two proprietary technology platforms—Brand Manager 360 for license application and management, and Insights for royalty and point-of-sale analytics—and supports licensees with category-leading creative, enforcement, legal, and consulting services. Sub-brands including College Vault, Licensing Partners International (LPI), CORE81, and K-12 School Licensing extend its licensing model into related markets.

Product overview

CLC is the nation's leading collegiate trademark licensing and marketing company operating as a platform-plus-services model. The core products include Brand Manager 360 (online license management and design approval tool) and Insights (proprietary analytics platform). CLC's ecosystem encompasses nearly 800 collegiate institutions, over 4,000 licensed manufacturers, and relationships with more than 100,000 retailers. The company offers specialized brands including College Vault (vintage-inspired merchandise), national marketing platforms (College Colors Day, Holiday Cheer, National Tailgate Weekend, Hispanic Heritage Collection), and Licensing Partners International (LPI) for sports, nonprofit, and consumer brand licensing. CLC also provides digital tools including Logos on Demand and manages K-12 school licensing programs through k12licensing.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• College Vault: A vintage-inspired collegiate merchandise brand that pays tribute to the historical trademarks and traditions of college sports.
• Brand Manager 360
• Insights
• CORE81
• Licensing Partners International (LPI)

Products and services

• Trademark Licensing Representation Services End-to-end trademark licensing representation for U.S. colleges, universities, athletic conferences, post-season bowls, the College Football Playoff, and the NCAA—covering licensee recruitment, license approval, royalty collection, brand-standards enforcement, legal action against unlicensed use, and reporting. Buyers are the institutions themselves; licensees and retailers are downstream participants.
• Brand Manager 360 Online license application and management platform used by CLC's 4,000+ licensed manufacturers to apply for collegiate marks, manage approvals, and track licensing activity.
• Insights Proprietary data and analytics platform delivering point-of-sale, royalty, and retail performance intelligence to collegiate brand owners and licensees.
• Licensing Partners International (LPI) CLC sub-brand that delivers trademark licensing representation to professional sports entities, nonprofit organizations, and consumer brands outside the collegiate market.
• College Vault Vintage-inspired collegiate merchandise brand and pop-up retail concept operated by CLC, producing and selling officially licensed apparel and merchandise featuring collegiate marks.
• CORE81 Specialized collegiate licensing program operated by CLC as one of its sub-brands.
• K-12 School Licensing Licensing program operated by CLC that delivers trademark licensing representation and licensing administration services to K-12 schools and school districts.
• Logos on Demand (operated by JPatton) Trademark asset delivery service operated by CLC in partnership with JPatton that gives licensees access to approved, on-brand collegiate artwork and logos.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9% growth in sales of licensed merchandise for CLC institutions during first six months of FY 2026
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• UNCFflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Licensing Partners International (LPI), a division of CLC, announced strategic partnership with UNCF to develop and manage UNCF's first enterprise-level brand licensing program. The initiative creates a structured platform to strengthen brand stewardship and generate incremental revenue through purpose-driven consumer products leveraging UNCF's iconic messaging including 'A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste'®.
• Licensing Partners InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026LPI, a trademark licensing division of CLC, serves as the operating entity for nonprofit and consumer brand licensing programs including the UNCF partnership. LPI leverages CLC's infrastructure and industry relationships.
• University of MontanaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Historic first-time co-branding collaboration with Smokey Bear and U.S. Forest Service on apparel collection. Streaker Sports and Collegiate Licensing Company facilitated the merchandise collaboration highlighting UM's fire science program.
• University of Pittsburgh AthleticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026University of Pittsburgh Athletics, in conjunction with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, partnered with CLC to host Pitt Block Party at Arts Landing during NFL Draft. The three-day celebration featured exclusive merchandise, live music, and family activities connecting fans to Pitt football legacy.
• East Carolina University AthleticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026ECU Athletics partnered with CLC to launch Powder Purple Collection inspired by iconic powder purple jerseys worn by ECU baseball team. Collection features merchandise from licensees including Champion, Homefield, Image One, Johnnie-O, Logo Brands, No Rivals, TCA and WinCraft.
• NCAAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026College Vault, a vintage-inspired brand owned by CLC, partnered with NCAA to open a pop-up shop at downtown Indianapolis during Final Four weekend. The shop sold limited-edition merchandise featuring historical marks of Final Four events and champion teams.
• University of North CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026UNC Department of Athletics collaborated with CLC to launch Carolina Argyle Collection featuring the iconic argyle pattern created by Alexander Julian. Collection includes products from licensees including Nike, Horn Legend, Johnnie O, Rhoback, '47 Brand and Logo Brands.
• College Football Playoff OfficialscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2026CLC, as exclusive licensing agent for CFP, coordinated with investigators and officials to patrol areas around Hard Rock Stadium and CFP events to protect fans from counterfeit merchandise and enforce trademark protection.
• College Football PlayoffcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2026CFP and CLC partnered with global superstar Pitbull (Mr. 305) to create exclusive merchandise collection for the National Championship in Miami. Royalties fund CFP Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers initiative.
• University of Houston SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2026Following an extensive evaluation, the University of Houston System selected CLC to assist in management and marketing of UH's trademark licensing program. New partnership builds on UH's growth by diversifying product offerings and increasing branded merchandise availability.
• StetsonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2025Stetson, the iconic western-inspired hat company, partnered with CLC to launch officially licensed college-branded hat collections for seven universities. Texas A&M was the inaugural school, with other schools including University of Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas Tech, Stetson University, and Oklahoma State following.
• Indiana UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2025Indiana University's first-ever external licensing agency partnership with CLC to manage and market IU's trademark licensing program. Collaboration aims to elevate IU brand through expanded product portfolio and retail programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products: Major IP licensor that operates a large internal consumer products and brand licensing organization. Comparable to CLC in monetizing brand IP through licensee networks and retail distribution, though across entertainment rather than sports.
• Disney Consumer Products: Internal licensing division of The Walt Disney Company that monetizes Disney's IP through a global licensee and retail network. Relevant as a benchmark for the scale and economics of a mature, vertically integrated brand licensing operation.
• Endeavor (formerly WME-IMG): Global sports and entertainment company that owned IMG College Licensing prior to its merger into CLC. Relevant because Endeavor remains active in sports IP rights, talent, and licensing adjacent to CLC's domain.
• Fanatics: Vertically integrated licensed sports merchandise retailer and licensee that works directly with leagues, teams, and athletes. While not a licensing agency, it is a critical counterparty and competitor to CLC's licensee/retailer network in collegiate merchandise.

Direct peers

• Beanstalk: Global brand licensing agency that manages licensing programs for corporate and entertainment brands. Closely matches CLC's core business model of managing IP portfolios, identifying licensees, and driving royalty revenue across categories.
• Copia Group (formerly Evolution Management): Brand licensing agency serving corporate brands and properties. Comparable to CLC in providing full-service licensing representation, including strategy, retailer outreach, and licensee management across consumer product categories.
• Brandgenuity: Brand licensing agency that represents licensors across consumer products, sports, and entertainment categories. Directly comparable to CLC in business model — multi-category licensing representation, licensee cultivation, and royalty administration — though not focused on the collegiate niche.

Others

• Learfield: Parent company of CLC and leading media and technology company powering college athletics through multimedia rights, ticketing, and data. Included as the parent rather than a peer; its multimedia rights business has direct thematic overlap with collegiate IP monetization.

Emerging players

• Octane5: Technology platform serving the brand licensing industry with contract management, royalty accounting, and analytics tools. Comparable to CLC's Brand Manager 360 and Insights platforms, though operating as a software vendor rather than a licensing agency.
• National Football League Players Association (NFLPA): Licenses player likeness rights (group licensing) on behalf of NFL players. Comparable to CLC in administering group IP rights across multiple rights-holders and channeling them through licensees and retailers, though in a different sport vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CLCBrands
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clc-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CLC