ATLANTA, Ga. (April 4, 2024) – As the teams continue to chase the trophies for this year’s NCAA® Men’s and Women’s Division I Basketball Championships, the NCAA and its exclusive trademark licensing partner, CLC, warn fans that counterfeiters may try to take advantage of the excitement surrounding the games to sell unlicensed merchandise. 

CLC will work closely with undercover agents and local officials in Phoenix and Glendale, Arizona, the site of this year’s NCAA Men’s Final Four®, and Cleveland, Ohio, the site of this year’s NCAA Women’s Final Four®, to patrol the areas around the game venues and fan events in search of counterfeit merchandise and any other unauthorized use of trademarks owned by the NCAA and the participating institutions. Any individuals found to be selling counterfeit goods will be asked to surrender the infringing merchandise to enforcement officials.

It is important that fans make sure they are only purchasing officially licensed merchandise authorized by the NCAA and the participating schools. With counterfeiters increasingly targeting fans through social media and digital marketplaces, CLC’s enforcement staff will also be working to address online counterfeit issues as they arise. 

“By protecting the brands of the NCAA and participating institutions, we are also helping to ensure that fans and consumers have a great experience at the games through their purchase of high quality, authentic merchandise,” said Cory Moss, CEO of CLC. “Counterfeiters often look to capitalize on fan excitement by selling what may be incorrect and inferior merchandise, so we encourage fans to purchase licensed merchandise that can be a lasting memento of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.”

When purchasing NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship merchandise, fans should look for the following identifiers to ensure the merchandise they purchase is officially licensed:

• All merchandise should bear the name of the authorized licensee on the product, either in the form of a hangtag, a neck label, or screen-printed directly on the garment. 
• All officially licensed merchandise should display the NCAA “Officially Licensed Product” hologram somewhere on the product or hangtag.
• The merchandise should depict the NCAA and participating universities’ marks in a tasteful manner, consistent with the designs and school depictions approved by the NCAA and participating institutions. 
• The tag on the garment should be intact. A torn or missing tag is evidence of a second-hand garment, one that probably would not meet the stringent quality standards put in place by the NCAA and the participating institutions. 

There are more than 40 companies currently licensed to produce merchandise bearing NCAA marks. Royalties generated from the sale of officially licensed championship products are returned to the NCAA and participating institutions to support scholarships and other vital programs and initiatives.

About the NCAA
The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for nearly half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit ncaa.org and ncaa.com for more details about the Association and the corporate partnerships that support the NCAA and its student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola as official corporate champions and the following elite companies as official corporate partners: Buffalo Wild Wings, Buick, GEICO, Great Clips, Intuit Turbotax, Invesco QQQ, LG, Marriott Bonvoy, Nabisco, Nissan, Pizza Hut, Reese’s, The Home Depot, Unilever and Wendy’s.

For media inquiries, contact:

Tammy Purves, CLC, tammy.purves@clc.com, 770-799-3275