Dr. Finus Gaston
Alabama Football
323 Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Dear Finus:
I am still in the process of trying to change the University's viewpoint regarding the licensing issues about my paintings that depict University of Alabama sporting events. I am confident that I will be successful in my efforts, even though it may take a while to do so. In the meantime, I believe that we can work together on projects in which we share common grounds without compromising our currently held positions. To reiterate, I have no problem with licensing products which utilize the University's trademarks. Furthermore, I am agreeable to licensing art prints only when the University’s trademarks are utilized outside the parameters of the artwork itself, i.e., the white margin area of the print.
Currently, I am in the design process and market planning stage of my 2003 calendar which will feature excerpts from my past paintings and pencil studies of those excerpts. We were moderately successful with the 2002 calendar (unlicensed) which I have enclosed for your review. I am considering several modifications to the calendar that I believe will make it more successful for 2003. I have prepared some rough prototypes of the cover and calendar pages, also enclosed for your perusal. You will notice, on both, I have incorporated the University’s marks so as to make the calendar licensable. I am proposing that you consider the 2003 calendar as part of your current fund-raising program. Beyond the licensing fee from sales of the calendar, I would suggest that the University partner with New Life Art, Inc. in the marketing of the calendars through the University’s many marketing avenues. Instead of the normal net percentage of the licensing fees, the University (or Athletic Dept.) could net about 50% from the calendar sales that it generates. This would indeed be one of those mutually beneficial relationships that you and I discussed a while back in your office. Last year’s calendar retailed for $24.95. This price took into consideration that the thirteen pencil drawing art prints contained in the calendar were suitable for framing ñ making them less than $ .50 each. For the 2003 calendar, I am thinking about lowering the retail to $19.95 or including a free 8 x 10-inch full-color print of “The Gamebreaker” that would be printed on the last page of the calendar, helping to justify the $24.95 price.
If you are interested, I would like to hear back from you as to the commitment and extent of the University’s participation in this project. I can usually be reached at my studio number, 979-5088, or New Life Art, Inc., 979-2158. I look forward to working with you on the University’s current fund-raising project.
Sincerely,
Daniel A. Moore
New Life Art, Inc.
