The initiative’s goal is to stop the sale of unlicensed goods during the NCAA Final Four games.
NORTH AMERICA—IMG College Licensing teamed up with the NCAA this weekend to make anti-counterfeiting preparations for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four games.
IMG College Licensing is the exclusive trademark agent for the for Kansas, Michigan and Villanova for the Men’s Final Four; and Louisville, Mississippi State and UConn for the Women’s Final Four.
The two companies worked closely with San Antonio and Columbus, Ohio officials, law enforcement and private investigators to seek out counterfeit merchandise and other unauthorized use of trademarks owned by the NCAA and the participating universities. All counterfeit merchandise was subject to seizure.
“Our goal is to protect the brand integrity of the NCAA and our partner colleges and universities, as well as to protect fans from purchasing unlicensed counterfeit merchandise that often is of inferior quality,” says Cory Moss, senior vice president and managing director, IMG College Licensing. “Our enforcement teams will work to deter potential counterfeiters that may be at event sites, in the local market, and online looking to capitalize on fan excitement.”
IMG also provided consumers with a comprehensive guide for identifying unlicensed merchandise. Indicators included inconsistent school logos, disheveled tags, and garments without the NCAA “Officially Licensed Product” hologram.