Whoa!... This might be the end of my annual VT Calendars... Just got an email from CLC (Collegiate Licensing Company) that licenses all VT products... Read the fifth paragraph... Are any of you out there licensing your products through VT? What is your take on this?

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Dear Licensee:
 
CLC Logo The Collegiate Licensing Company has maintained a long-standing commitment to investing in the staff, services, and systems necessary to deliver the best brand protection, brand management, and brand development resources available in collegiate licensing.
 
As the collegiate licensing business has become more complex over the past decade with retail channel and product category segmentation, increased customization of licensing policies, and a more competitive retail marketplace that demands strategic approaches to brand development, CLC’s administrative costs have increased significantly.
 
In the past three years alone, CLC has increased its total staff by 13%, and increased its licensing administration staff by 20% in the past decade. CLC also makes substantial investments each year on systems upgrades and customization of applications and reports to help make processes more efficient and bring value to partner institutions and licensees.
 
In order to maintain the investment necessary to deliver the tools that allow collegiate partners and licensees to best-manage their respective collegiate licensing programs, CLC is raising its annual license administration fee and license application fee.
 
Effective for the June 2013 renewal period for contracts that go into effect, July 1, 2013, the standard license administration fee charged by CLC will increase from $250 to $1,000, and the local license administration fee will increase from $50 to $100.
 
Additionally, CLC will require a $500 administration fee for each additional name or label that a company uses, which operates as a separate account with CLC for the college segment of the retail market. Previously, CLC did not charge for additional names/labels for a licensed manufacturer. This new fee has become necessary as more and more companies have names/labels that function as subsidiary companies with separate administrative, royalty reporting, and licensing requirements to support product categories and retail channels of distribution that are different from their respective primary names/labels.  
 
It is important to note that CLC has not increased its administrative fees in 10 years. During that time, the rate of inflation and costs of goods and services to conduct any and all businesses have grown substantially. The revised fees are necessary to offset those increased expenses.
 
CLC’s administrative fee will remain a one-time annual fee covering all institutions on the license.  We will not charge an administrative fee per institution licensed, which still makes CLC’s annual fee very reasonable and one of the lowest in the business.
 
Please note, this new policy is not applicable to licensees that have been approved by an institution to only sell into the Restricted Distribution channel.  The fee policy implemented in January 2012 for those licensees will remain in effect.
 
We hope this advance notice of our fee changes will allow you to plan accordingly for your next license renewal. Should you have any questions, please contact your licensing coordinator.
 
Thank you for your continued partnership.


Sincerely,

Jana Franz
Vice President, Licensing Operations
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So, it means $1000 upfront, just for the right to publish the calendar + 10% from every calendar I sell. I am not the one to complain, it is what it is, but I think I will just have to sunset the calendar. Goodness gracious... a 400% increase. SMH.

I guess the cover of my last calendar turned out a bit prophetic...

2013 Calendar (Front Cover)