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Office of University Communications
Trademarks and Licensing

Information for Faculty, Staff, Students

Working with Vendors

A detail photo of a group of students outdoors, all wearing bright blue UB backpacks.

Any use of the University at Buffalo name, logos or signature marks by campus departments and authorized student groups must have prior approval from the UB Trademarks and Licensing office. Failure to do so could hinder final vendor fulfillment of your products.

A detail photo of a blue and clear ruler with a calculator in it.

Whenever possible, please use licensed vendors. They are very knowledgeable about the requirements and standards of the university, and have instant access to UB’s artwork. They also are more likely to provide you with better pricing for a much higher quality item found elsewhere. Officially licensed vendors are the only companies allowed to produce retail items (fundraising and "sold at cost" items are considered retail).

How do I find a licensed vendor?

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Review Licensing Resource Group's list of UB vendors.

What if I want to use an unlicensed vendor?

You can use an unlicensed vendor as long as it hasn’t received an order from the university within the calendar year you want to place the order (excluding retail or fundraising items that can only be ordered from an officially licensed vendor).

If you want to purchase an item from an unlicensed company, check first with the Trademarks and Licensing Program to see if the company already has accepted an order from any other UB department of office within the calendar year. You can contact the program at 716-645-4585 or by email.

If the company has accepted an order within the calendar year, you cannot place an order with the vendor until the next calendar year. If the company has not received a UB order within the calendar year, you can place a one-time order with it. You cannot, however, place an additional order with the company for the remainder of the calendar year. Your purchase with the company would be under a single-order license, which is used for orders that are unique and/or too infrequent to warrant a full license.

Keep in mind that if you choose to use an unlicensed vendor, you cannot place another order with that company for the full calendar year, even if it’s an exact reprint with no changes. And if another campus department places an order with the vendor after the calendar year but before you do, you will have to find another source or vendor for your custom product.

How do I obtain UB’s trademark approval?

To obtain the university’s trademark approval, campus departments, organizations, groups and/or vendors must complete and submit a campus trademark request.

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Campus Trademark Request

I’ve found a vendor to produce my product. What do I do next?

You must now choose how you want your custom imprint to appear on your product.

Follow these steps:

  1. To understand what you can do with each logo/signature mark, review the UB logo guidelines information in the Communications Toolbox.
  2. Review the prohibited items/usage list.
  3. Download the appropriate logo.
  4. Before you place your order, complete the Campus Trademark Form (see above) and submit it and your design to the Trademarks and Licensing Program.

Your request will be returned to you and the vendor you have selected so that you can proceed with production.