When Upper Deck, Fleer, and Topps all produced NBA trading cards, you could assume that their contracts were ______.

When Upper Deck, Fleer, and Topps all produced NBA trading cards, you could assume that their contracts were ______.

• A. Exclusive
• B. Non-exclusive
• C. Joint
• D. Regional

Answer: (B)

Licensing in sports marketing can be exclusive or non-exclusive. When several brands are able to produce NBA trading cards at the same time, the licenses are non-exclusive, meaning the rights to make official cards are granted to multiple manufacturers. If the license were exclusive, only one company could produce the cards, which isn’t the case here since Upper Deck, Fleer, and Topps all did. A regional license would limit production to a specific area, and a joint license implies formal shared control between a couple of entities rather than broad permission for several brands. So the best fit is non-exclusive.

Licensing in sports marketing can be exclusive or non-exclusive. When several brands are able to produce NBA trading cards at the same time, the licenses are non-exclusive, meaning the rights to make official cards are granted to multiple manufacturers. If the license were exclusive, only one company could produce the cards, which isn’t the case here since Upper Deck, Fleer, and Topps all did. A regional license would limit production to a specific area, and a joint license implies formal shared control between a couple of entities rather than broad permission for several brands. So the best fit is non-exclusive.