Experiential licensing deals continue to accumulate, with branded cafés one of the most common examples of late. Properties announcing deals in the past six months to launch new ventures, or expand existing café chains, illustrate both the variety of properties active in this sector and the global reach of the trend: Characters. Moomin will inaugurate […]
Archive | Licensing
Share and Share Alike
One way to keep a licensing program alive over time is to regularly release new characters, storylines, or art styles that licensees can use to freshen their product assortment. Increasingly, licensors are enlisting their licensees in this effort by facilitating the sharing of licensee-developed assets for new merchandise collections in other categories. NBCUniversal partnered with […]
Creative Thinking
Fashion designers are increasingly stepping outside of their traditional realms of apparel, accessories, footwear, beauty, fragrance, dinnerware, bed and bath, and home décor. Many have been testing categories such as pet products and electronic-device cases, for example. Some ventures are virtually one of a kind, as is the case with these unconventional limited editions: Karl […]
Measuring Success in Decades
Last month, Popeye Magazine, a Japanese men’s fashion periodical published by Magazine House under license from King Features, celebrated its 40th anniversary. The milestone serves as a reminder that, despite all the focus these days on short-term collaborations and limited editions, there is still a place for traditional, long-lasting licensing partnerships. Other examples include: Elizabeth […]
At Home, Watching TV
A number of recent and ongoing home-goods product lines have been built around actors who made their names as secondary characters, or as members of an ensemble cast, on a TV show. Most of the series are no longer on the air. In many cases, these personalities have little obvious connection to home furnishings and […]
Long Legs for Adult Coloring
The adult coloring book trend persists, showing much more longevity than many observers had predicted. Barnes & Noble, which has been adult coloring central for the last couple of years, continues to give the category a lot of space and prominent placement. One large store currently features a large wall display and three tables right […]
Emojis, Licensing, and the Law
The abundance of emoji-related graphics and brands available for licensing and the strong presence of emoji-themed merchandise at retail this fall raise some questions for the licensing community. For example: What are my options if I want to create products featuring emoji-related designs and/or brands? Are emojis legally protectable in the first place? Do I […]
E-sports Properties Play The Licensing Game
Competitive video gaming, or e-sports, has been around in one form or another since the early 1970s and has steadily become more popular and professional ever since. Over the past two to three years, it has seen strong growth, moving into mainstream consciousness. According to researcher Newzoo, which began issuing e-sports market studies two years […]
Conference Conflict: Decision Time for Artists and Agents
Next year’s earlier dates for Licensing Expo—May 23-25, compared to mid-June in previous years—creates a conundrum for artists and art agents that exhibit at both Licensing Expo and Surtex. The two shows will overlap in 2017, with Surtex taking place from May 21-23, its traditional timeframe. In the past, a large number of artists and […]
Just Hanging Out
The hobby of hammocking (also known as ’mocking) has flourished over the past two years, especially among millennials. Teen and young adult men and women regularly hang their portable hammocks not just in their back yards, but also in parks and other open spaces, and even in some offices. Clubs have formed in metro areas […]