Don't Put The Words 'Rugby' 'World' And 'Cup' Together In New Zealand, Or You Might Get Fined
from the descriptive? dept
Not again. What is it with major international sporting events and governments' willingness to bend over backwards to give them extraordinary intellectual property protections? We all know about how the Olympics seems to always get intellectual property rights that go beyond any standard trademark laws. And we've seen similar things with the FIFA World Cup. Apparently, the same is happening for other "World Cups" as well. Lawrence D'Oliveiro points us to the news that the Rugby World Cup was able to get a special law passed in New Zealand that could make using those three words together in the wrong way subject to fines of up to $150,000. Basically, you can't say those words in any sort of fundraiser, promotion or event, unless you're an official sponsor. The Rugby World Cup people promise they'll "use common sense" before going after anyone using those words, but already some fundraisers and car rental shops have been told to change their signs for mentioning the World Cup.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: new zealand, rugby, trademark, world cup
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Please don't read any of the preceding comment if you live in New Zealand.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb0syrgsH6M
In medieval times the church proposed and enforced laws to limit how people should use the bible. In those days people could loose their property, cattle and life for reading the bible in their mother tongs.
We came a long way, but still not enough.
IP is the new religion that will burn in flames some day.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Why is is so difficult?
Lose is the word you were striving to find. "people could lose their property".
And it's "We've come" not "We came"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Why is is so difficult?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Why is is so difficult?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Rugby World Cup - bah humbug
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Rugby World Cup - bah humbug
of course, the more left leaning parties have their issues too (and the tendency to get reelected over and over and over due to not sucking as badly as everyone else doesn't help...)
*sigh* i have this sneaking suspicion that we're going to eventually end up in a defacto single party state simply because every single other party proves time and time again to be utterly incompetent on every level ....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ybgur!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Ybgur!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If NZ disappeared tomorrow, no one would notice, let alone care. But with Australia as a role model, what would you expect..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
yes this is a poorly-thought out IP decision - but NZ is hardly alone in this realm. and if you want to talk about selling liberties and freedoms, i suggest you look no further than the grand old US of A. can anyone say "DMCA"? or how about "PATRIOT Act"?
and clearly, you don't know new zealanders - i doubt you'd find a single new zealander who would list australia as a "role model."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Replica of Wall-e built by technical college prototype and design students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRw-Y6SJ19Q
Those SOB's stealing Disney ideas, I'm sick, they even give out a pirate site were people share and openly tell others how to infringe on Disney copyrights not only that they also did R2-D2, George Lucas should be furious.
How dare those pirate teaching schools use others property without paying up or asking for permission.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Copyright and patent infringement
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It's the damndest thing.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
we've had a long history of selling our stuff (other than export products, obviously) to forigeners ending Very badly (starting right back with the reason we were part of the empire, have the treaty of Waitangi, and had a whole bunch of civil wars, leading up to the most recent blatantly obvious example of both American and Australian companies dicking us over with the railways... or the banks...)
heck, even 'free trade' doesn't actually seem to work in our favour most of teh time... not that that stops the government pursuing it with great enthusiasm.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I've got a cup for you...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Never associate me with an Australian.
They will never be my role model.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Never associate me with an Australian.
I'm an Aussie and getting called a Pommy or a Sheep Shonker is like calling a Canadian an American.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Never associate me with an Australian.
And Kiwis don't much like being mistaken for Australians either.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
But Wait, There’s More!
The Economic Development Minister can declare a “clean zone”:
More details about the Major Events Management Act here and here.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You may be exaggerating this law
This law seems limited to "goods or services; or (b) a brand of goods or services; or (c) a person who provides goods or services"
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2007/0035/latest/DLM413047.html#DLM413047
Or use in "a business, trade, or occupation"
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2007/0035/latest/DLM413084.html
And it includes lots of exclusions for everyday uses.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2007/0035/latest/DLM413049.html#DLM413049
Didn't stop them going after this school event, but I think this was overreach by Rugby World Cup Ltd.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/warning-over-three-little-words-3694792
Would any NZ lawyer like to comment?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
There goes that idea...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
@ NZ Citizen
The mindless masses of those who *watch* sports have long ago legitimized this by accepting sports monopolies; this is a mere short extension. The authority may not be "moral", but it exists de facto. -- So, do you join me in calling for removing legalized monopolies from all sports? In the US, that'd include for a start NHL, NFL, MLB. ... (crickets) Yeah, I thought not. Then, we're in for a straitening of natural rights in favor of the granted privileges of monopolies.
"Or is this the action of a weak, spineless tyrant?"
No, it's the action of a strong gov't against feeble minded masses who are kept pacified with bread and circuses.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: @ NZ Citizen
which is why the government tends to heavily regulate them instead.
which is fine until something like this happens... regulatory capture, i think it was?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Just call it "The other Handegg Earth Championship"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
What about The World Cup of Rugby? Or Rugby WC! or Rugby, played by the World, for a Cup!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not Just Those Words
Cowardly Annon asked:
Unfortunately, no. The TVNZ item reports that even saying “Rugby 2011” is verboten.
And there was an item on Fair Go that same evening, where the NZRU representative claimed that even a radio ad saying “be part of the world’s biggest rugby party with <company name>” was in breach.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Rugger
Global Rugger Receptacle?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]