Use of College Name and Trademarks Policy
I. POLICY STATEMENT
Occidental College’s names, logos, seals, trademarks, service marks, word marks, insignias, and other images, whether or not registered (collectively “Marks”), are significant intangible assets of the institution and help Occidental College present a unified brand to the world. The Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Marketing and Communications (“OMC”) share responsibility to protect College Marks against misuse and infringement. State and federal trademark laws protect the use of Occidental’s commonly used Marks, whether or not they are registered. Unauthorized use of any Marks, or the use of confusingly similar Marks, may constitute an unfair business practice and/or trademark infringement.
II. APPLICABILITY
This policy applies to faculty, staff, administrators, students, student organizations, academic departments, administrative divisions or departments, alumni organizations, formal or informal groups, independent contractors, vendors, and other third-party organizations and individuals. This policy applies to the use by any party of any Marks in all forms, including but not limited to: physical products, print, radio, television, video, motion pictures, and all forms of electronic media (e.g. Internet Web sites and email). This policy also applies to the use by any party of any name, logo, seal, trademarks, service marks, word marks, insignias, or other images which are confusingly similar to Occidental College’s Marks.
III. DEFINITIONS.
Authorized Agent – For purposes of this policy only, means the Board of Trustees, President, Vice President for Marketing & Communications, or General Counsel of Occidental College, or anyone to whom the foregoing persons have expressly delegated authority to conduct activities covered by this policy.
Confusingly Similar – Means a name, logo, seal, trademarks, service marks, word marks, insignias, or other image that is so similar to one of Occidental College’s Marks in sound, appearance, relatedness, or commercial impression so as to confuse consumers and cause them to mistakenly believe that the name, logo, seal, trademarks, service marks, word marks, insignias, or other image represents or signifies an affiliation with or endorsement by the College.
Marks – Means Occidental College’s name (including “Occidental College,” “Occidental,” “Oxy,” and other abbreviations), logos, seals, trademarks, service marks, word marks, insignias, or other images, whether or not registered.
IV. POLICY.
A. Ownership of Marks
Occidental College owns the following Marks (displayed with diagonal watermarks, which are not part of the trademark itself), without limitation:
1. Names:
“Occidental College”
“O”
2. Logos
3. Seals:
4. Athletics:
Uniform Marks
Spirit Marks
B. Guidelines for Using Occidental College Marks
All use of Occidental’s Marks must conform with the College’s Style Guide. Questions about using Occidental College’s Marks should be directed to the OMC.
1. Altering Occidental College Marks
No one may alter, modify, or duplicate of any Occidental College Mark without the express written consent of the OMC and/or the Office of the General Counsel.
2. Creating Occidental College Marks
Other logos or marks may not be developed or used to represent sections, units, internal departments, programs, initiatives, research centers, institutes, groups or communities that are housed within the College. Special logos shall not be developed or used to represent joint ventures. To brand a joint venture, the established identity of the partner organization and the Occidental College logo will be deployed concurrently in a co-branding relationship.
3. Restrictions on Use of Occidental College Marks
Except as provided in this policy, no one may use Occidental College Marks for any commercial or promotional purpose without obtaining written permission from an Authorized Agent of Occidental College.
In addition, Occidental College Marks may not be used to do any of the following:
- Imply the College’s endorsement of or affiliation with a business, social, political, religious, or other organization, individual, or cause, where no written, authorized affiliation or endorsement agreement exists;
- Imply Occidental College is responsible for an activity, product, or publication, except as expressly set forth in Section 4 of this policy;
- Promote an individual or group for commercial or other purposes;
- Harass, discriminate, or retaliate against any persons or groups because of a protected characteristic, or otherwise violate state or federal law or College policy;
- Promote “vice” products and services such as gambling, sexually-suggestive products, firearms or weapons, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or illegal drugs;
- Maintain a personal or business-related website, URL, or domain name.
Occidental College reserves the right to prohibit other uses it considers inconsistent with its mission, reputation, and/or operations.
4. Appropriate Use of the Occidental College Marks
The following are circumstances where Occidental College’s Marks may be used without authorization from an Authorized Agent:
- By faculty, administrators, offices, departments, and recognized student clubs for internal, noncommercial purposes, in conjunction with their authorized activities and consistent with other College policies.
- By news media for news purposes only (such as to identify the institution).
- By persons who were formerly employed or enrolled at Occidental College to accurately describe their past/current affiliation with Occidental College.
- To describe the location of an event hosted on the Occidental College campus.
- To share information about official Occidental College events, classes, publications, products, or services.
5. Appropriate Use of Occidental College Athletics Marks
The Occidental College Department of Athletics has exclusive authority to use Occidental College Athletics Marks (listed in Section IV.A.4 above) without a license signed by an Authorized Agent. All use of Athletics Marks must conform with the Athletics Visual Identity Guide, which is available to authorized users through the Department of Athletics.
6. Appropriate Use of College Stationery and Email Signatures
The Office of Marketing and Communications maintains prescribed templates for Occidental College letterhead, envelopes, business cards, and email signatures. These professional templates are consistent with Occidental College’s Style Guide and may not be modified without the approval of the OMC. These items may be ordered or obtained through the OMC website.
College stationery may be used for College business purposes only.
Email signatures are considered official College communications and a presentation of the College’s brand. Employees may not add logos, images, colors, mottos, symbols, quotations, taglines or other statements to the email signature block, as these may be misunderstood as representing the College's official positions, values or views.
C. Licensing Occidental College’s Marks
The College’s Marks may be used for commercial products and/or for commercial purposes only when properly licensed through a signed agreement with Occidental College. Parties interested in licensing a College mark should contact the Office of Marketing and Communications. Licensing and royalty fees may apply. OMC’s approval/licensing to use an Occidental College Mark is limited and non-transferrable: it does not constitute approval to use the Mark differently, again, or to modify the Mark in any way.
Any product that will bear an Occidental College Mark and is intended for sale or profit must be submitted to OMC for approval before it can be manufactured, sold, or distributed. All licensed or authorized garments must be manufactured/produced by a vendor who conforms with Occidental College’s Garment Manufacturers Code of Conduct. OMC can provide a list of suggested vendors upon request.
D. Consequences for Misuse of Occidental College Marks or Branded Materials
When Occidental College becomes aware of any misuse of its Marks or College-branded materials or any use of a confusingly similar mark, it takes prompt remedial action. Occidental College students and employees who misuse College Marks or College-branded materials or who use a confusingly similar mark may be subject to discipline.
Any party that misuses Occidental College Marks or College-branded materials or that uses a confusingly similar mark will be informed of their misuse and asked to immediately rectify the situation. If the situation is not rectified, the College may take legal action against the other party.
V. POLICY HISTORY.
Responsible Officer(s): Vice President for Marketing & Communications; General Counsel
Effective Date: January 29, 2024
VI. RELATED POLICIES AND RESOURCES.