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Trademark and IP Licensing for West Coast Brands

Garfield Agency is a Los Angeles licensing agency led by Bruce Garfield. Bruce Garfield spent more than 23 years at American Honda, where he oversaw branding for Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda Motorcycles, Honda Power Equipment, Honda Racing and HondaJet, and managed the brand logo, merchandise and licensing programs behind them.

We help brand owners turn trademarks and other intellectual property into licensed products, partnerships and royalty income, and keep those marks protected while they are in the market.

  
Honda motocross bike in red Supreme livery, a Honda and Supreme brand collaboration

SERVICES

TRADEMARK LICENSING

ABOUT BRUCE

FAQ

INSIGHTS

CONTACT

Upcoming industry events

Trade shows and conventions across licensing, automotive, gaming, toys and collectibles.

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What licensing does for a brand

Licensing contractually grants a partner limited rights to use your trademarks and other intellectual property on products you do not make yourself. The partner carries the manufacturing, inventory and distribution. You set the standards, approve what carries your name, and collect royalties on every sale.

Done well, a licensing program extends a brand into new categories and new customers without new factories, and every approved product reinforces what the brand stands for. Done loosely, it dilutes the mark and invites counterfeits. The difference is in the structure: the right categories, the right partners, tight contracts and steady oversight.

Licensing strategy

Which categories fit your brand, which to avoid, and how the program should be sequenced.

Partnerships

Finding, vetting and negotiating with manufacturers, retailers, game studios and collaborators.

Royalty programs

Deal structures, guarantees, reporting and the audit rights that keep royalties accurate.

Brand protection

Product approvals, quality standards and market watch for unlicensed use of your marks.

Built on 23 years inside Honda’s licensing program

For more than 23 years Bruce oversaw branding at American Honda and managed the brand logo, merchandise and licensing programs for Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda Motorcycles, Honda Power Equipment, Honda Racing and HondaJet. He developed, negotiated and nurtured the partner and licensee relationships behind them.

He brings business and legal training to licensing, along with strengths in relationship building, analyzing product category opportunities, budget planning and forecasting. He is a tough negotiator and brand champion, yet compassionately nurturing of business partnerships.

Around him, the agency’s advisors include Yuichiro Kawamura, former Senior Vice President of Honda Patents and Technologies North America, along with specialists in gaming, motorsports and marketing.

Bruce Garfield, CEO and Founder of Garfield Agency, seated in a vehicle cockpit

Where we license

Each category has its own buyers, trade shows, contract norms and approval cycles. We work in the ones we know from the inside.

Automotive

OEM and aftermarket accessories, die cast and scale models, apparel, racing programs and the trade shows that drive them, from SEMA to the LA Auto Show.

Gaming and digital IP

Vehicles, logos and likenesses in console and mobile games, esports, virtual goods, NFTs and other digital IP scopes.

Consumer products

Apparel collaborations, toys, hobby and collectibles, watches and accessories, home, outdoor and retail merchandise programs.

The team behind the licenses

Garfield Agency brings together a team of advisors in licensing, intellectual property, gaming, motorsports and marketing who have worked closely with top brands and companies, collectively, for several decades.

Bruce Garfield, CEO and Founder of Garfield Agency, Los Angeles trademark and IP licensing

Bruce Garfield

CEO and Founder
Brand Licensing, Merchandise and Partnerships

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Bruce Garfield spent more than 23 years at American Honda, where he oversaw branding for Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda Motorcycles, Honda Power Equipment, Honda Racing and HondaJet, and managed the brand logo, merchandise and licensing programs behind them. He developed, negotiated and managed partner and licensee relationships across apparel and accessories, gaming and esports, sporting goods, watches and jewelry, toys and collectibles, home and garden, outdoor and recreation, publishing, consumer electronics and retail merchandise.

Brands he has worked with include Sony, Microsoft Gaming, EA, Google Gaming, Bandai Namco, Activision Blizzard, Capcom, Natural Motion, Riot, Creative Mobile, Sega, Take-Two, Ubisoft and Zynga in gaming; Anti Social Social Club, Autocannon, BRM, Forever 21, MSTR and Supreme in fashion and accessories; and Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master, Tomy, Donut Media, Maisto, Gateway Global AutoArt, Sunrich, Tamiya, Kaido House and MaxBoost in toys and hobby.

He serves as a Director on the Honda Federal Credit Union Board and the EarthShot Board, and advises Donut Media’s Brand and Merchandise Board on product development, brand equity and intellectual property protection.

Yuichiro Kawamura, Global Business Development and Intellectual Property Advisor at Garfield Agency

Yuichiro Kawamura

Global Business Development and Intellectual Property Advisor

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Yuichiro Kawamura is Vice President of Business Development at RPX Corporation, focused on the automotive sector. Before RPX he spent 39 years at Honda Motor Co. working across intellectual property businesses, most recently as Senior Vice President of Honda Patents and Technologies North America, where he managed intellectual property business, litigation and licensing matters.

Sherry M. Saffer, Esq., CFO and Legal Advisor at Garfield Agency

Sherry M. Saffer, Esq.

CFO and Legal Advisor

Austin Yuen, Gaming and Data Advisor at Garfield Agency

Austin Yuen

Gaming and Data Advisor

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A veteran of the gaming industry since 2009, Austin Yuen was one of the original employees at CIE Games, a racing games studio. After Glu Mobile acquired CIE Games in 2014, Austin became Product Owner for Racing Rivals, then Head of Business Development, where he doubled the title’s catalog of licenses and built partnerships with automotive brands. In 2017 he founded Yuen Design Inc, a consulting firm focused on product management and licensing in mobile gaming, helping clients acquire intellectual property and monetize their products.

Peter Cunningham, Motorsports Advisor at Garfield Agency

Peter Cunningham

Motorsports Advisor

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Peter Cunningham is a championship driver for RealTime Racing, the team he created as the factory Honda and Acura team in the Pirelli World Challenge. He has won 91 sports car races in 10 professional series and 10 Drivers’ Championships in SCCA Pro Racing, and in 2018 became the youngest inductee into the SCCA Hall of Fame. As a team owner he has led RealTime to 101 event wins, 25 drivers’ championships and 14 manufacturers’ championships for Honda and Acura.

Dr. Robyn W. Johnson, Marketing, Research and Management Consulting advisor

Dr. Robyn Johnson

Marketing, Research and Management Consulting

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Dr. Johnson is a brand strategist focused on making a company come to mind when a prospective customer is ready to buy. She brings decades of experience studying markets, competitors and customers and a Ph.D. in Psychology, with work spanning food, pet food, health insurance, seniors, snow sports, motorcycles and automobiles across for profit, nonprofit and private organizations.

Bert Rhine, Marketing and Advertising Advisor at Garfield Agency

Bert Rhine

Marketing and Advertising Advisor

Common questions

What does a trademark licensing agency do?

A licensing agency builds and runs the program that lets other companies use your trademarks on products or in promotions in exchange for royalties. That covers choosing categories, finding and vetting licensees, negotiating deal terms, approving products and packaging, collecting royalty reports, and watching the market for unlicensed use.

Is Garfield Agency a law firm?

No. Garfield Agency is a licensing strategy and business agency. We work alongside your trademark counsel. Registrations, clearance opinions and litigation belong with a licensed attorney.

Where does Garfield Agency work?

Garfield Agency is located in Los Angeles and serves brand owners on the West Coast, with partnership opportunities worldwide.

What kinds of brands do you license?

Automotive and motorsports brands, gaming and esports, apparel and accessories, toys, hobby and collectibles, and digital IP including NFTs, virtual goods and other digital scopes.

More answers in the licensing FAQ

Start a licensing conversation

Tell us about your brand, the marks you own and the categories or partners you have in mind. You can also call the agency at 310 562 4994.

Garfield Agency provides licensing strategy and business services. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. For trademark filings, clearance opinions and litigation, work with a licensed attorney.

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