Hinckley and Eden are most concerned with products sold off campus and outside stadiums. Campus bookstores stock merchandise that has been properly licensed.

Hinckley and Eden often spend time on the lookout for merchandise at high-profile games such as Saturday's BYU-Utah game where entrepreneurs — legal and otherwise — cash in on school spirit. Hinckley was especially busy last football season, when Utah football was ranked in the nation's top 10.

Hinckley and Eden asked Georgia-based The Collegiate Licensing Co. to send "enforcers" to wander the outskirts of LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday to inspect gear. Enforcers randomly inspect other games, too.

"We license about 220 institutions, which includes bowls as well," said company spokesman Derek Hughes. "We don't represent everybody, but we represent the majority."

Hinckley and Eden said they can scan an area and quickly distinguish between licensed and unlicensed products because they are familiar with the ones they licensed. The inspectors from Georgia, however, look for the licensing hangtags required on approved merchandise.

The early intervention apparently had an impact as no violations were reported on Saturday.

The offending vendors often are simply unaware of the licensing process, Hinckley said. They are locals just trying to make an extra buck or two.

There are major counterfeiting rings, however, "people who are doing it maliciously with intent to make a (substantial) profit," Hinckley said. "Last year, we did have several people copying our marks and using them inappropriately. . . . We had bootleggers who flew in from the West Coast with some unlicensed product."

---

E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com