Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.36
Liaison Marianella Franklin
Submission Date Jan. 10, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
EN-15: Trademark Licensing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Patrick Gonzales
VP of University Marketing and Communication t
Marketing and Communication
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution a member of the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC)?:
Yes

Is the institution currently a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA)? :
Yes

Is the institution currently a member of an equivalent independent monitoring and verification organization approved by AASHE?:
No

A brief description of the independent monitoring and verification organization:

The University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley is part of the UT System, and through our flagship institution The University of Texas Austin (which handles/covers licensing for the system for all the UT institutions) is a member of the WRC and FLA. According to the UT Office of Brand, Trademarks and Licensing:

The Office of Brand, Trademarks and Licensing works to protect and promote the use of The University of Texas System’s name and logos and to ensure that the public can properly identify and associate the logos with officially licensed products bearing the institutions’ marks.

The component institutions of The University of Texas System (UT System) have achieved reputations as outstanding institutions of higher education. Reputation is specific to the name of the UT System and each component institution and is represented by the seal, trademarks, logos, and service marks used by the UT System and its component institutions (UT Trademarks). The system trademarks are registered with the U.S. Office of Patent and Trademarks, the state of Texas and in many foreign countries. These marks are the exclusive property of The Board of Regents.

A license is required for products featuring UT Trademarks through the Office of Brand, Trademarks and Licensing and Learfield Licensing Partners. University entities must also use a licensed vendor to produce licensed merchandise. Annual royalty income from more than 400 licensees is used to support the mission of the UT System and its component institutions.

The UT System Office of Trademark Licensing, which oversees UTRGV's copyright use, is well-informed on matters regarding workers rights and trademark licensing.
This single office manages all of the UT system campus trademarking decisions, and has adopted Labor Code standards that require licensees to disclose the locations of the factories it owns or contracts with and authorize announced and unannounced inspections/monitoring of the factories. Craig Westemeier, Sr. Associate Athletic Director
for the University of Texas, currently serves on the FLA board and was recently elected to the WRC board (beginning July 1, 2017), providing further guidance on these matters.

UTRGV’s trademark licensing initiatives work towards the sustainable development goal of decent work by supporting, promoting, and ensuring decent work for all.


Has the institution adopted a labor rights code of conduct in its licensing agreements with the licensees who produce its logo apparel?:
Yes

A copy of the labor rights code of conduct for licensees:
---

The labor rights code of conduct for licensees:
Website URL where information about the institution’s trademark licensing initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.