Have you ever felt the urge to buy toilet paper with the Duke logo? Would you ever want your child playing with a sword bearing the Duke name? How about being buried in a Duke casket?
There are thousands of products that carry the University's name, and not all of them fall into the standard order of notebooks, pens and shot glasses. Some are a little more eccentric and others quite absurd. And to ensure that they never get too absurd, someone has to draw the line.
At Duke, that someone is Jim Wilkerson, director of licensing for the University and director of Duke University Stores, who said he usually makes such decisions based on past practice and common sense.
"Much of it is just experience, but the general rule is that if it doesn't improve Duke's image we don't approve it," he said, adding that usually means declining any designs that are vulgar, overly critical or ridiculing of other universities, or greatly alter the logos.
Duke has about 20 such trademarked logos, all with differing styles of fonts and designs of the Blue Devil, and the University has the right to determine their use.
In the months leading up to the April 2 championship, the University received about 3,000 requests from various manufacturers to make products bearing the Duke name or logo, at times getting more than 300 offers each week.
That number has since tapered down to its usual level of about 100 requests per week, but still, the process for deciding who can use the Duke name is not simple. Although most retailers have learned over the years which requests are likely to get approved and which will not, enterprising companies looking to make a quick buck still often test the University.
Wilkerson usually receives about 10 to 12 complaints each year from alumni or customers upset about the misuse of the Duke name.
When that happens, he contacts the University's licensing contractor, the Collegiate Licensing Company, which handles licensing for about 185 universities.
When the company finds a violation, it confiscates all merchandise, sends the violator a letter asking them to cease and desist and charging them for all lost royalties.
Recently the University has refused to lend its name to several products that were deemed unflattering, including Duke toilet paper and seats. "That might be okay for a Duke fan, but we wouldn't want a North Carolina fan to have one," Wilkerson said.
Proposals are also sometimes turned down for safety or liability concerns. Wilkerson said he recently rejected a request to make Duke trash bags, fearing that children could suffocate in them.
The University never allows its name on food or other consumables, which Wilkerson said can not be effectively monitored for quality.
Wilkerson also turned away an offer to manufacture 2-foot-long knifes bearing the Duke logo. "We don't want any Duke swords out there," he said.
Senior Bret Runestad agreed, adding that some products should just not be associated with Duke. "The Duke gun would be surprising," he said. "A Duke pack of cigarettes, despite our history, would be a little disturbing."
Often, however, designs are declined for altering the Duke logo too much. Changing the colors of the logos is of particular concern when reviewing product designs.
Wilkerson said he has turned down requests to use pastel green, and he is often tested by the shade of blue a company wants to use.
"You get one thing out there with a remote shade of Carolina blue, the next day I'll get 20 phone calls," Wilkerson said.
There are, however, some unusual requests that do get approved by the University. It approved a request by Collegiate Memorials of Macon, Ga., to use the Duke logo on caskets, for example.
The idea may seem a little far-fetched, but some Duke fans claim otherwise. Junior Jude Al-Khalil, for example, says that wrapping oneself in Duke blue for all eternity might be appealing.
"I guess after I graduate from Duke, Duke will always be with me," Al-Khalil said.
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