NSAA Licensing Agreements

and Use of Copyrighted Logos

At the end of a successful postseason run in an NSAA activity, schools are contacted by a variety of businesses about purchasing or creating items to remember that season by.

NSAA member schools are urged to use caution in dealing with vendors which may claim to be “officially licensed” to sell items from NSAA postseason events, or who would use the copyrighted NSAA acronym, logos or other artwork.

For commercial purposes, there are only a handful of vendors authorized to reproduce the NSAA logo, or who are authorized to sell photographs and videotapes of NSAA postseason events. Those vendors provide modest royalties and services to the NSAA to assist in its administration of postseason events and services to schools.

Schools wishing to put the NSAA logo on items they are producing for awards and publications (i.e., souvenir programs) are allowed to do so. However, if the items are to be sold, that is another matter that requires advance communication with the NSAA office. The illegal reproduction of otherwise copyrighted material, like shirt designs, videotapes and photographs, from NSAA authorized vendors, is something over which those individual companies authorized to use the logo could sue an individual, a business, or a school.

Here is a partial list of what is allowable as it pertains to the use of the NSAA logo and merchandise sold at tournaments:

• A school can use the NSAA logo on awards it produces for team members. It cannot, however, use the logo for resale purposes of any type to the public.
• It is illegal to make copies of the videotapes sold at NSAA postseason events.
• It is illegal to copy the design of NSAA trophies, plaques and medals presented at, or t-shirts and posters sold at or after NSAA postseason events.
• It is illegal to copy the photographs sold by the NSAA authorized vendor at or after NSAA postseason events.

Here is a partial list of the commercial vendors and other companies authorized to use the NSAA logo for commercial purposes:

• ScreenCo/Cricket Sports (screen printing, NSAA postseason event merchandise)
• Nebraska ETV (video tapes of selected NSAA Championship Finals)
• Champ Shots (photos of NSAA events)

If you don’t see a company on this list, they may not be authorized to use the NSAA logo for commercial purposes. If you have any questions, or are approached by a vendor not on this list, call the NSAA office.