This is the time of year when the storied rivalry between BYU and Utah reaches a boiling point, and vendors looking to make a few bucks at the schools' expense know how to make the most of it.

• THE RIVALRY between Brigham Young University and the University of Utah is as heated as ever, but that's not keeping the two schools from joining forces to fight counterfeit team merchandise. Agents from the BYU and U of U police and Collegiate License Company are blitzing Utah County this week to shut down anyone selling bogus T-shirts, hats and other gear.

Illegal, unlicensed merchandise is a yearlong concern for both universities, but sales jump drastically the week before the big game as vendors look to cash in on fans' desire to show their school spirit. Efforts to shut those vendors down will be stepped up this week.

"Our culture here in Utah is very entrepreneurial in nature. People probably see a hot market, trying to capitalize on it a little bit," said Brett Eden, BYU's licensing and trademark manager.

The amount of counterfeit BYU merchandise that has been confiscated this year is one of the highest in recent memory, Eden said. That may be driven by the intensity of last year's dramatic victory over the Utes, the anticipation of this year's rematch, and the high stakes of the game itself. BYU sits alone atop the Mountain West Conference standings, and Utah can still win a share of the conference title if it beats BYU on Saturday and the Cougars lose to San Diego State University the following weekend.

"Both teams are doing really well right now. BYU has clinched at least a share of the conference title, and Utah still has that opportunity," Eden said.

Shane Hinckley, Utah's director of licensing, said his school hasn't seen much of an increase in counterfeit merchandise, but it has been a problem for years.

"I think Utah's success over the past 10 years has been a little bit greater with the Fiesta Bowl and whatnot, and so we've seen a lot of it before, and we have seen a lot of activity this year. But it's not maybe as new to us as it is to BYU," Hinckley said.

Eden said unlicensed merchandise is often sold at roadside and street corner stands. Some of those vendors do sell officially licensed gear, but Eden said fans should be wary of buying at such places.

There's an easy way to tell if the sweatshirt or hat you're buying is officially licensed. All CLC-licensed merchandise has an emblem identifying the item as an "officially licensed collegiate product." That emblem can usually be found on tags or holographic stickers. Torn or missing tags are a dead giveaway, and all merchandise should include the name of the manufacturer.

"That logo is in a hologram 90 percent of the time, and that hologram is practically impossible to duplicate," Eden said. "If that's there, there's a very good chance that it's legal."

The schools are looking to crack down not only on bogus merchandise but on unsanctioned promotions by local businesses as well. Some stores, restaurants and other places will try to boost business by associating some type of promotion with the big rivalry game, Hinckley said. But only BYU and Utah have the rights to sanction those promotions.

"As the rivalry gets bigger and the press around it gets bigger, a lot of times people don't understand that those marks are protected, and in both cases the schools have sponsorship rights that they've given the use of those marks to in association with our rivalry game," Hinckley said.

• Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@heraldextra.com.