Associations
One of the most important associations for our business is the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association. LIMA hosts the Licensing Show in New York City each June and offers a wealth of resources, including news, books, seminars (live and on tape), market trends, research and much more. www.licensing.org
Legal and Professional Resources
Mary always says that her best advice has always been to get a good lawyer, as it is essential to protect your work. LIMA can offer support service recommendations for lawyers and other professionals who specialize in art licensing. Local chapters of Volunteer Lawyers And Accountants For The Arts can also provide assistance.
Copyrights and Trademarks
We regularly use the United States Patent and Trademark Office website. Their Online Business System allows you to search for and register trademarks, apply for copyrights, pay fees and more. www.uspto.gov
Trade Shows
Trade shows are one of the best ways to learn about an industry. We attend gift, stationery, home furnishings and licensing shows and more. www.tsnn.com offers listings of every trade show in the world including the number of exhibitors, exhibition floor space and number of attendees. We also refer often to Gifts & Dec trade show listing, as it is most applicable to our business.
Trade Publications
Trade publications that are important to our industry include the following. You can usually order a sample to review by calling their subscription departments. Many of these publications also offer free e-mail updates, which you can sign up for online.
Licensing
License! Magazine (search “License!”)
The Licensing Letter
Brand Building
American Demographics
Brandweek
Industry Trades
Art Business News
Chain Store Age
Gifts & Decorative Accessories
Giftware Business
Giftware News
Greetings, Etc.
Home Furnishings Network (HFN)
Home Accents Today
Home Textiles Today
Homeworld Business
Kids Today
Tableware Today
VM&SD – (513) 421-2050
Books
Two books that are indispensable for our business are “Licensing Update” (updated annually) by Aspen Publishers and “The EPM Licensing Letter Sourcebook.”
Aspen’s annual update provides information about the licensing industry, statistics, developments in the licensing industry, information about international licensing, character licensing, Internet licensing, updates on licensing law, trends in the licensing business, royalty rate trends, auditing issues, tax considerations, antitrust issues and more.
The second book is the “EPM Licensing Letter Sourcebook,” which is also updated annually and can be ordered from EPM Communications (the same group that publishes the “Licensing Letter”) by calling (212) 941-0099. This resource book has more than 35,000 listings of property owners, manufacturers, agents, consultants and others in the licensing industry.
