Patches That Are Off-limits

People who are just beginning to buy embroidered patches might well be wondering why they cant obtain certain patches in stores or online. Most notably are those from motorcycle clubs, sports teams, and even commercial enterprises. The truth of the matter is that these patches are off limits for one reason or another and this is why retailers cannot sell them. In general, this means that the owner of the logo will not permit retailers to mass produce it and sell it on. This all boils down to money at the end of the day. But thats the way it works.

Motorcycle Clubs and Civic Organizations

Motorcycle clubs and civic organizations generally don't allow the mass production and resale of their patches because they want to protect their membership. Motorcycle clubs put new recruits through a very long and tough process before granting them full membership. Once they were given their patch they would feel a sense of special accomplishment for having achieved it. But how much pride would they feel if they found that someone could just go and buy the same patch without the need to do anything to earn it? Not too great I would imagine.

That is the major reason why civic organizations and motorcycle clubs will do all they can to protect their membership and will require members to earn their patches. Motorcycle clubs will issue the patches to members directly through the club so it's understandable that they take great exception when they see someone who is not a member wearing a pirated version. If you do wear a patch that you did not earn, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble.

Sports Teams

Marketing revenue is probably the mainstay of most professional sports leagues and is what keeps them in business. That is why they need to have strict controls over the way that merchandise is sold. If anyone was allowed to mass produce their patches then they could make quite a lot of money by selling in bulk. Whether or not we have a free market, these sports leagues know that by licensing their logos, they are guaranteed to make money. Allowing cheap retailers to sell these patches would mean throwing that guaranteed revenue away.

The way that they do this is to get trademarks for their names and logos. Without a license, nobody else can use a trademarked name or logo. And because sports team logos are so visible it's nearly impossible to get away with pirated merchandise, at least here in america.

The U.S Military is an Exception

One thing there's a chance you're wondering about is why the U.S. military is not off-limits when the sports teams and motorcycle clubs are. Well, it comes down to the fact that the military is considered by law to be a public entity. Since it is part of the government, and the government is owned by the people, the military is also owned by the people. The public have every right to use the logos and graphics of the military because they are in the public domain. That said, you really shouldn't wear certain military patches unless you've earned them. Patches that would be earned for serving in a particular conflict such as Iraq would be a prime example.