Musicians and bands, living and dead, are included in “Music.” Apart from merchandise licensing based on the individual or group name or imagery (the Rolling Stones tongue or the Grateful Dead dancing bears, for example), owners of music copyrights grant authorizations to perform or record music. These uses are outside the scope of consumer products licensing unless the usage … [Read more...] about TLL’s Guide to Music-based Properties
Articles
TLL’s Guide to Celebrity-based Properties
This sector includes living actors, actresses, models, chefs, business executives, and others. (Musicians, athletes, and artists are categorized under “Music,” “Sports,” and “Art,” respectively.) While many celebrity-based deals include endorsements and promotional tie-ins, we look exclusively at the product licensing generated by these individuals. However, sometimes … [Read more...] about TLL’s Guide to Celebrity-based Properties
TLL’s Guide to Property Types
Properties that are licensed, or with potential for licensing, come from many sources—from art to celebrities, fashion designers to feature films and television programs, sports leagues and personalities to toys, videogames, and food and beverage brands. Although some properties cross over into several sectors, for the most part they are classified under the property type … [Read more...] about TLL’s Guide to Property Types
TLL’s Guide to Fashion-based Properties
Fashion designers and labels primarily fall into three groups — apparel (and accessories), footwear, and home/interior design. Within these broad groups fall non-personality-driven labels, such as OP, Burberry, and Carter’s, and designer names, such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Norma Kamali. Fashion-rooted licensing programs typically enable the brand to expand into … [Read more...] about TLL’s Guide to Fashion-based Properties
TLL’s Guide to Art-Based Properties
Art licensing includes two sub-categories: Art & Artists Fine artists and designers (living and deceased) who create images with products in mind, including textile and surface designers, as well as fine artists who create art for art’s sake, for whom licensing is a secondary concern. The first group accounts for the lion’s share of art licensing; these artists’ work is … [Read more...] about TLL’s Guide to Art-Based Properties
TLL’s Guide to Estate-based Properties
Estate licensing includes deceased celebrities who would fall under the “Celebrities” category in life. Deceased celebrities whose licensing strategies remain the same in death as in life, primarily musicians, artists, and athletes, remain in “Music,” “Art,” and “Sports,” respectively. There are a few exceptions: Celebrities that started in one of those categories but have come … [Read more...] about TLL’s Guide to Estate-based Properties
Top Countries in the $165.7 Billion Market for Licensed Retail Sales Worldwide
2016 was a great year for licensing worldwide, with retail sales topping $165.7 billion, according to TLL's Annual Licensing Business Survey. That figure represents a jump of 1.6% from 2015 and 4.3% from 2014. See the top 49 countries ranked by retail sales of licensed merchandise below. The top four players (the U.S., Japan, Canada, and the U.K.) kept their spots, but China … [Read more...] about Top Countries in the $165.7 Billion Market for Licensed Retail Sales Worldwide
The Wild World of Emoji
We're issuing a correction for a description we printed in the January 2017 issue, regarding the emoji® brand from the Emoji Co. The amended brand description is below—as well as an overview of all the emoji-related properties we could find. Did we miss anything? Let us know! The links below provide full contact information in Licensing Sourcebook Online (LSBO). Note that the … [Read more...] about The Wild World of Emoji
M&A Shorts
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Aramark partner to provide retail merchandise services for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open. Under the multi-year agreement, Aramark will manage all aspects of the US Open Tennis Championships’ retail sales and merchandising operations throughout the grounds of the National Tennis Center. … [Read more...] about M&A Shorts
M&A Shorts
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Aramark partner to provide retail merchandise services for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open. Under the multi-year agreement, Aramark will manage all aspects of the US Open Tennis Championships’ retail sales and merchandising operations throughout the grounds of the National Tennis Center. … [Read more...] about M&A Shorts