The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos

What The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos does

The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos (CAPS) is a private coalition established in 1992 that coordinates and centralizes trademark protection and anti-counterfeiting enforcement for the five largest U.S. sports trademark holders: Collegiate Licensing Company (now IMG College Licensing, LLC), Major League Baseball, NBA Properties, Inc., NFL Properties LLC, and NHL Enterprises, L.P. Its operating footprint spans the United States and Canada, aligning with the geographic distribution of the professional leagues' member clubs. CAPS does not develop proprietary technology and has no commercial product revenue; its role is coordination, intelligence-sharing, and operational support rather than technology deployment.

The coalition's service portfolio comprises four interconnected offerings: (1) Law Enforcement Assistance Services, providing investigative support, prosecutorial support (trial testimony, affidavits, victim impact statements), and product identification to federal, state, and local agencies; (2) Consumer Education via the Spot-A-Fake program, offering visual and textual guides for distinguishing authentic from counterfeit merchandise; (3) Password-protected training manuals for law enforcement; and (4) a public Counterfeit Reporting System accessible through a toll-free hotline (1.800.TEL-CAPS) and an online form. Supporting partners include the International Anticounterfeiting Coalition (IACC), International Trademark Association (INTA), the National IPR Coordination Center, and Trademark Management.

CAPS is funded exclusively through membership contributions from its five member organizations and does not charge for its services. It has no external investors, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed financials. Reported enforcement outcomes include seizures exceeding $1.3 billion in MSRP value of counterfeit merchandise and successful federal prosecutions resulting in prison sentences. In 2021, NBA Properties' Ayala Deutsch was recognized as WTR In-House Leader of the Year, reflecting the coalition's reputational standing in the trademark community.

Name

The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos

Legal name

The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos

Website

https://capsinfo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CAPS is a 1992-founded private coalition that coordinates trademark protection and anti-counterfeiting enforcement for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and collegiate licensing, supporting law enforcement investigations and consumer education across the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Organization Funding: CAPS is funded by its member organizations (CLC, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) through membership contributions to coordinate and centralize common civil and criminal trademark protection and enforcement matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CAPS is a coalition that coordinates and centralizes civil and criminal trademark protection and anti-counterfeiting enforcement on behalf of its five member sports IP holders (CLC, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL). It provides investigative support, prosecutorial support, and product identification services to law enforcement agencies; consumer education ("Spot-A-Fake") teaching fans to identify authentic merchandise; and a public hotline and reporting system for counterfeit tips.

Product overview

CAPS operates as a trademark enforcement coordination coalition rather than a traditional product company. The organization provides a unified platform of anti-counterfeiting services including law enforcement assistance (investigative support, prosecutorial support, product identification), consumer education (Spot-A-Fake guidance), password-protected training materials, and a counterfeit reporting system via hotline and online forms. These services are interconnected components of a comprehensive trademark protection ecosystem serving the CAPS member organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Law Enforcement Assistance Services Provides investigative support (infringer identification, investigation initiation, on-site expert coordination), prosecutorial support (trial testimony, documentation, affidavits, victim impact statements), and product identification services (in-person, email, video conferencing, or phone review) to law enforcement agencies investigating counterfeit sports merchandise.
• Consumer Education (Spot-A-Fake) Educational resource helping sports fans and consumers identify authentic versus counterfeit merchandise by examining holograms, hang-tags, labels, serial numbers, quality, spelling, and embroidery on licensed products.
• Counterfeit Reporting System Online form and hotline (1.800.TEL-CAPS) allowing the public to report suspected counterfeit merchandise manufacturing or sales, enabling anonymous tips submission that feeds the coalition's enforcement pipeline.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully seized over $1.3 billion in MSRP value of counterfeit merchandise
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC (CLC)coreOthersCLC is one of five founding members of the CAPS coalition, providing collegiate trademark licensing expertise and representing over 800 colleges, universities, bowl games, athletic conferences, The Heisman Trophy, the NCAA, the College Football Playoffs, and other top college brands.
• Major League BaseballcoreOthersMLB is a founding member of the CAPS coalition, providing trademark protection services for the most historic professional sports league in the United States with 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada.
• NBA Properties, Inc.coreOthersNBA Properties controls the merchandising and licensing for all 30 NBA teams and affiliated entities, including NBA All Star Game, Playoffs, Finals, Draft, and Jam Session as a CAPS founding member.
• NFL Properties LLCcoreOthersNFL Properties LLC controls the merchandising and licensing for all 32 independently owned member teams within the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference as a CAPS founding member.
• NHL Enterprises, L.P.coreOthersNHL Enterprises, L.P. is a founding member of the CAPS coalition, representing the National Hockey League with 32 member teams located throughout the United States and Canada.
• International Anticounterfeiting Coalition Inc. (IACC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIACC is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization devoted to combating product counterfeiting and piracy, founded in 1979 with over 250 member companies. CAPS recommends IACC as a resource for anti-counterfeiting information.
• International Trademark Association (INTA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerINTA is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and complementary intellectual property, founded in 1878. CAPS recommends INTA as a resource for trademark professionals.
• National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IPR Center leads the U.S. government's response to stop global IP theft and enforce trade laws, comprised of federal agencies and industry experts. CAPS identifies this as a key resource for law enforcement partners.
• Trademark ManagementsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrademark Management's objective is eliminating unauthorized use of registered trademarks from online and on-the-ground marketplaces. With over 26 years of brand enforcement experience, CAPS recommends them as an enforcement service provider.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• OpSec Security: Established commercial brand-protection and anti-counterfeiting firm providing authentication technologies, online brand protection, and investigative services to global brands. Comparable to CAPS as a brand-protection enabler, but operates as a for-profit commercial vendor with proprietary technology rather than a coalition funded by member dues.
• Zebra Technologies (Brand Protection Solutions): Large public technology company offering RFID, barcode, and brand-protection solutions to global retailers and brand owners. Comparable to CAPS in supporting anti-counterfeiting efforts but delivers commercial hardware/software rather than coalition-led law enforcement coordination.
• Authentic Brands Group: Major brand-management company that owns and licenses numerous consumer and sports-adjacent brands. While not a direct anti-counterfeiting peer, ABG shares CAPS' sports/IP ecosystem and represents the type of large brand owner that benefits from and competes for member attention against CAPS' coalition services.
• UL (Underwriters Laboratories): Global safety science and certification company that verifies product authenticity and security claims for major brands. Comparable to CAPS in providing trusted third-party authentication services, though UL operates commercially across industries rather than specifically in sports merchandise.
• Avery Dennison (RBIS): Global materials science and manufacturing company producing authentication labels, RFID inlays, and brand-protection solutions. Comparable to CAPS in enabling brand authentication but operates as a commercial supplier of physical authentication products rather than a coalition.

Emerging players

• Entrupy: AI-powered authentication technology company specializing in luxury goods, sneakers, and collectibles. Comparable to CAPS in the authentication/anti-counterfeiting mission but uses proprietary machine-learning technology and focuses on consumer/luxury authentication rather than coordinated law-enforcement support for sports IP holders.
• StockX: Online marketplace for sneakers, apparel, and collectibles that uses proprietary authentication as a core value proposition. Comparable to CAPS in serving the authentication/anti-counterfeiting need within sports merchandise, but operates as a high-valuation commercial marketplace rather than a coalition.
• The RealReal: Online marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment that employs in-house brand authenticators. Comparable to CAPS in addressing counterfeiting concerns through authentication infrastructure, but operates as a luxury-focused consumer marketplace rather than an industry coalition.

Direct peers

• International Anticounterfeiting Coalition (IACC): Washington, D.C.-based non-profit founded in 1979 with over 250 member companies, devoted to combating product counterfeiting and piracy. CAPS explicitly lists IACC as a recommended resource, and both organizations operate in the same anti-counterfeiting coordination space, with IACC serving a broader cross-industry membership while CAPS specializes in sports.
• International Trademark Association (INTA): Global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and complementary IP, founded in 1878. CAPS explicitly lists INTA as a recommended trademark professional resource. Both organizations operate as member-supported IP/trademark bodies serving brand owners, though INTA's scope is global and cross-industry while CAPS focuses narrowly on sports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/major-league-baseball-properties-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos