With college football season kicking off, University of Mississippi officials are warning fans to be on the lookout for counterfeit vendors, according to HottyToddy.com.
Officials have noticed a rise in illegal vendors selling fraudulent T-shirts, and even T-shirts, including those that feature vulgar language, before football games. In response, university officials have confiscated the merchandise and told the vendors to leave. But, they fear there will be more. Fans who spot any illegal vendors should contact the university’s police department.
“We get royalties from the sale of officially licensed products that help support student scholarships and enhance various initiatives on campus,” said Kathy Tidwell, manager of contractual services at the University of Mississippi, according to HottyToddy.com. “We don’t get anything from this illegal merchandise. Also, some of these counterfeit items actually cast the university in a bad light and don’t portray Ole Miss in a flattering manner.”
To help differentiate authentic merchandise from counterfeit merchandise, Tidwell suggested a few things to look for:
- The “Officially Licensed Collegiate Product” hologram
- The name of the manufacturer, either on the hangtag or neck label, or screen-printed onto the garment
- Appropriate trademark designations next to a specific name or design
Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in the amount of counterfeit merchandise at the professional level. Unfortunately, it seems college apparel is the latest market under attack. If you work with promotional college apparel, be on the lookout for any counterfeiters profiting from your clients’ names.
