Licensing Program Yale University
Yale University Shield

© 2007 Yale University,
New Haven, Connecticut 06520

Trademark Licensing

Overview
Yale Trademarks
Color Guidelines
Typographic Guidelines
Sample Artwork
Applications
Licensing of Intellectual Property
Enforcement


Overview

All manufacturers who produce goods bearing any of Yale’s trademarks must be licensed by the Yale University Licensing Program. Yale reserves the right to refuse a license to any person, business, or organization.

The terms of the license are contained in the Yale University Trademark License Agreement. The primary terms include:

• Licenses are granted for the production of specific products.
• Approved products must be identified as officially licensed.
• Domestic licenses are non-exclusive and prohibit exports.
• The royalty rate is 8% on the wholesale cost of products with guaranteed annual minimums determined by product category.
• Licensees pay a nonrefundable, annual advance on future royalty payments.
• Licensees pay an annual administration fee of $125.
• Licensees are required to participate in the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and adopt the FLA Code of Conduct.

Anyone interested in using the Yale name or trademarks for any purpose must secure the prior approval of the Yale University Licensing Program. Sales of products bearing a Yale trademark by University departments and authorized student groups are usually exempt from the royalty charge as long as the products are for internal use, to be given away, or, if for sale to the public, are sold directly (not via a retailer) with all proceeds benefiting the department or student group. Approval for designs must be obtained in advance from the Yale University Licensing Program.
Yale College students or student groups wishing to use the Yale name must comply with the Undergraduate Regulations.

Please see Frequently Asked Questions for more information, and contact the Yale University Licensing Program for further assistance.

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Yale Trademarks

The following are Yale’s trademarks and should be noted with the appropriate marks:

Registered trademarks (followed by ®)
• The Yale shield
• The word “YALE”

Trademarks (followed by TM)
• The words “YALE UNIVERSITY”
• The words “YALE BULLDOGS”
• The letter “Y”
• The bulldog leaning on the Y
• The athletic mark (bulldog head)

Hangtags: The use of ® or TM is not practical on some products (e.g., rings). In such cases, the University requires the manufacturer to produce a hangtag or label for each individual item that represents it as officially licensed. Sample language:
• The marks on this product are trademarks of Yale University and are used under official license.

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Color Guidelines

Yale trademarks such as the Y, the Yale shield, and the Yale bulldog must appear in Yale Blue; alternatively, they may appear in white on blue items. Word marks—Yale, Yale University, and Yale Bulldogs—enhanced with certain fashion colors on certain fashion-colored products are allowed. However, colors that clearly identify another college—e.g., orange and white (Princeton and Clemson) or crimson (Harvard)—may not be used on merchandise with the Yale marks. All designs and products must be submitted for final approval. An official swatch book for ink formulation and color matching will be provided to licensees upon request.

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Typographic Guidelines

Yale style is best achieved using traditional typefaces, styles, and arrangements. The following group of typefaces is prescribed:

• Serif oldstyle: Yale Design Roman, Yale Design Italic, and Yale Small Caps
• Slab-serif: Clarendon and Serifa roman in various weights (all-caps settings only)
• Script: Snell Roundhand in various weights
• Sans-serif: Gotham Roman and Italic, and Futura Condensed in various weights

Additional guidelines and recommendations:

1. For articles that call for an historical/traditional appearance, designers often specify an “oldstyle” serif typeface. In these instances, please use “Yale Design Roman,” “Yale Design Italic,” or “Yale Small Caps” fonts of the University's official typeface. This face has been designed exclusively for Yale by Matthew Carter. It is available only for use in connection with Yale projects; please contact Denise Castellano.

Yale Design Roman is especially appropriate for upper- and lowercase settings of “Yale University,” particularly when these words are used in conjunction with the official Yale shield (see illustration in Sample Artwork, below). This typeface should be used without adjusting the tracking. Extreme tracking or any digital compression or expansion of the lettering will distort the typography and result in a design that does not reflect “Yale style” (see related information in item 5, below).

2. For articles that call for a traditional athletic appearance, please use the “slab-serif” faces Clarendon (roman) or Serifa (roman). Clarendon produces a “nineteenth-century” look, while Serifa is more contemporary in feeling. This guideline also applies to the setting of a single, prominent letter “Y” and to the word “YALE” set in caps.

3. For articles that call for a script typeface, please use Snell Roundhand (full range of weights is acceptable). Other hand-drawn script and decorated designs may occasionally be approved on a case-by-case basis.

4. There are relatively few instances when the Yale name and image are appropriately rendered in a sans-serif face. For those articles that call for a sans-serif typeface, please use the new typeface Gotham, available at www.typography.com. Weights ranging from Gotham Light to Gotham Bold, in the roman and italic versions, are acceptable. Equivalent weights of Futura Condensed may be used if necessary.

5. The following typographic recommendations should be taken into account to ensure adherence to Yale style. When design proposals are not approved, these factors are often the basis for that decision.

Outlines and 3-D effects:
When type is outlined in a contrasting color or given a 3-D effect, pay close attention to how these decorations affect the letterforms and letterspacing. Outlines or shadows that fill the “counters” of letters (the white space inside the lowercase e or capital A, for instance) are generally not acceptable because they interfere with the legibility of the type.

Distortion: When type is asymmetrically scaled, compressed, or extended, or “made bold” or “made italic,” the intended design of the letterforms is compromised. It is preferable to obtain intentionally designed type styles rather than “making” those styles digitally.

Weights: In general, Yale style is produced with relatively traditional typographic forms. Using extremely thin or fat faces—even such versions of the approved faces—will tend to miss the visual mark.

Letterspacing: As a general rule, normal letterspacing should be used for the words “Yale University” when set in upper and lower case. In no event should the letters be conjoined. When setting all caps or small caps, the letters will need to be normally tracked or tracked to increase the letterspacing. In no event should all-caps settings be tracked tighter than “normal.” Designs that employ widely letterspaced lowercase oldstyle or script characters will generally be rejected because this typographic arrangement is not in keeping with Yale style.

Arcs and circles: Many design proposals for Yale merchandise display the words “Yale University” in an arc or near-circle. These designs are frequently returned for adjustment. “Yale” —either in upper and lower case or in all caps—is a particularly difficult word to letterspace effectively, and the difficulties are compounded by arranging the letters on a curve. In the best designs of this sort, the letters have been carefully spaced and, occasionally, redrawn by an expert so that they sit comfortably on a curved baseline. In all instances, the type will need to be adjusted to equalize the apparent space between the letters—i.e., optically letterspaced by hand.

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Sample Artwork

Examples of Yale’s trademarks are viewable here.

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Applications

Individuals, organizations, or businesses wishing to apply for a Yale trademark license should submit samples of similar products (not bearing Yale trademarks) to the Yale University Licensing Program, together with a completed License Application. License applications are available in PDF; to view and print the application, Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed. Applications are reviewed regularly.

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Licensing of Intellectual Property

All inquiries regarding the licensing of intellectual property shall be addressed to the Office of Cooperative Research.

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Enforcement

Yale University enforces the ownership and proper use of its trademarks. With the use of commercial services and the help of alumni, students, and friends, the Yale University Licensing Program monitors the marketplace to ensure that only officially licensed merchandise is being sold. The Program works closely with Yale’s General Counsel in this effort.

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