Licensing of Woodsy Owl
By virtue of the Woodsy Owl Act of 1974, the Forest Service contracts with an independent brand licensing agency to serve as the Forest Service’s partner to provide professional services that meet the commercial licensing and marketing objectives for Woodsy Owl. A licensing agreement is required for all third-party use of the image and likeness of Woodsy Owl which generates revenue.
Licensing agreements are approved on a case-by-case basis and may be for a term of years or for a one-time use, depending on the product and use of the Woodsy Owl image.
Become an official Woodsy Owl Licensee, be a part of an iconic brand and help spread connecting people to the land by promoting practices that benefits environmental conservation and the benefits of nature messages. Sales from officially licensed merchandise assist in providing education for conservation of land resources.
Licensees benefit from a history of 49 years of social consciousness created by Woodsy Owl. As an iconic brand, Woody Owl is immediately recognized, trusted and embraced by young and adult audiences nationwide with his iconic slogan Give a Hoot – Don’t Pollute!
The authorized licensing agent supports the USDA Forest Service in setting and implementing the Woodsy Owl licensing strategy and managing the day-to-day needs of the program. In addition to promoting opportunities for Woodsy Owl product placement at retail, the Forest Service identifies and signs new licensees and assists current licensees with program and royalty compliance.
A searchable database of licensees and their products is available on the Official Woodsy Owl Licensees and Products page.
If there are any questions about the licensing program or licensees, please email the licensing agency or the Forest Service at sm.fs.woodsylic@usda.gov.
The image and likeness of Woodsy Owl are protected and use enforced. Report unauthorized or questionable uses of Woodsy Owl to sm.fs.woodsylic@usda.gov.
Licensing Procedure
Corporations or individuals interested in becoming an Official Woodsy Owl Licensee to produce and market products using Woodsy Owl slogans, image and/or likeness are welcome to apply for a license. There is an application fee that is payable upon execution of the license.
Negotiated royalty fees are based on gross sales and are collected quarterly. The program maintains a portfolio of graphic assets which are available to all licensees to assist in developing Woodsy Owl products.
It is easy to apply. Just download the application and send it to sm.fs.woodsylic@usda.gov. Applications will be processed within the next 10 business days after the application is submitted.
One-time Use Agreements
One-time Use Agreements are available for time-limited or short-duration projects involving Woodsy Owl. The use of Woodsy Owl is granted only on a non-exclusive basis. These agreements are fee based and are typically required for published works, short-duration projects, or uses of Woodsy Owl that do not fall under commercial licensing. A nominal fee will be charged for one-time use agreements which are commercial in nature. Fee is based on the amount of material requiring review.
Any printed publication using Woodsy Owl will require a full review of the final publication draft. Permission to use images of Woodsy Owl in publications requires submission of the entire article or publication and depending on the type of publication, a review of additional material may be required. The use of Woodsy Owl images, or products in film. TV and social media require approval by the Forest Service Office of Communication prior to commencing work on the project. Contact the Press Office at SM.FS.pressoffice@usda.gov for information on obtaining approval. Once approval is granted, the one-time use agreement process will follow.
Persons interested in submitting a License Proposal for a one-time use agreement should contact the USDA Forest Service, Woodsy Owl Licensing manager at sm.fs.woodsylic@usda.gov. Requests should clearly describe the proposed use of Woodsy Owl. Please provide ample time for the review process.