mixture of old usd logos with a red overlay

Trademarks, Merchandising & Promotional


To protect the University of South Dakota brand identity, all items bearing USD trademarks—including department clothing, table banners and student organization merchandise—must be produced by a licensed vendor and approved by Creative Services.

Trademarks

The logos, designs, images and names associated with the University of South Dakota are trademarked and owned by the university. Through trademark and copyright registration, logos and other properties of the University of South Dakota cannot be used without permission of the university.

USD contracts with CLC Licensing Partners, a national company specializing in university licensing. All vendors and manufacturers producing goods with the name, marks and logos of the University of South Dakota must be licensed with USD through CLC.

Please contact Creative Services at 605-658-6276 for more information.

Trademarks and Registration

USD aggressively trademarks its name, marks and logos, which gives USD legal protection and the right to determine when, how and to whom USD is portrayed in clothing and other commercialized products. Any design that may cause confusion in the mind of the public is a direct infringement upon USD’s trademark rights.

The University of South Dakota has registered various words for use both in clothing and advertising. USD has legal right to both singular and plural versions of all words listed below.

The following words and phrases are trademarked by the university:

  • USD ®
  • The University of South Dakota ®
  • South Dakota's Team ®
  • Coyotes ®
  • Yotes ®
  • Yippin Yote ®
  • Coyote Crazies ®
  • Sanford School of Medicine ®
  • Sanford USD Medical Center ®
  • Dakota Days ®
  • D-Days ™
  • National Music Museum
  • Oscar Howe Native American Summer Art Institute
  • The South Dakotan

Licensing Requirements

Manufacturers, producers and any other entity planning to use the university’s trademarks must complete the licensing process and secure a license agreement prior to producing and selling emblematic merchandise.

The University of South Dakota trademark licensing program protects any logo, word mark, nickname, series of letters or acronyms associated with the University of South Dakota that are distinguishable from those of other universities, teams, mascots or organizations.

USD contracts with CLC Licensing Partners, a national company specializing in university licensing. All vendors and manufacturers producing goods with the name, marks and logos of the University of South Dakota must be licensed with USD through CLC, per USD Policy 2.015.

Learn More About CLC Licensing

Product Licensing

The University of South Dakota reserves the right to consider and approve any product or product category for license; however, no product will be licensed without the approval of the licensing program.

This helps to ensure that products bearing USD’s trademarks are of the highest quality and represent the university in a positive manner. Additionally, proactive review helps to identify products that may not be appropriate, may be hazardous or present a liability concern.

Look for the Label

Each time fans, alumni and supporters purchase an officially licensed souvenir, the manufacturer returns a portion of that sale to the university. The Collegiate Licensed Product Label is the consumer’s assurance that the products they purchase are as authentic as their support of the USD Coyotes.

collegiate licensed product

 

Promotional Items

Department Use of Logo
  • When space is limited, department and program names can be printed in approved proximity of the university logo.
  • Minimum distance should be no less than the height of "South Dakota in the primary logo.
  • A clear space around all areas of the logo must be maintained.
  • No more than 4 lines of text may be used.
Organization Logos
  • All promotional items must be created y licensed vendors and are subject to royalties.
  • Department and program names can be displayed as noted in the Department Use of Logo section.
  • Goods created to represent the university should only be created in primary university colors.
Table Banners
  • Can be done in red, black or white.
  • Department or program name must be appropriately spaced below the primary USD logo.

Clothing and Merchandise Guidelines

Getting proper approval for clothing and merchandise that bear University of South Dakota marks is similar to securing approval for other projects. Clothing and merchandise, for the most part, should follow the standards included in this guide. But, given the limitations of some merchandise, certain exceptions are made to allow for items that are functional, more affordable and fashionable.

One major standards difference between clothing/merchandise and other media is the use of alternative fonts. Since the words “Coyotes” and “University of South Dakota” are trademarked both as words and logos, these words can be used in any font style. Allowing various fonts also permits a greater variety of choices for the consumer.

However, this does not allow for the creation of new fonts contained within a logo. Although primary colors are always preferred, alternative colors are allowed for fashion wear, textiles or memorabilia. Items created in colors outside the primary color palette should have a clear intended use or reason for the alternative colors. Deviations permitted for clothing/merchandise, with branding approval, are:

  • University colors
  • Tone-on-tone
  • Neutral tones
  • Purpose driven
    •  Campaigns, holidays, etc.
  • Specific novelty
    •  Baby, fashion wear, hunting, etc.

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