Google Doodles Obvious Nod To...Some Games...Or Something...

from the no-names-for-games dept

Thu, Aug 2nd 2012 11:52am — Timothy Geigner

Google users have long noticed the search page's "doodles", where Google redesigns their logo as an homage to something having to do with that day's history (Yes! I managed to link to a Techdirt story from two-thousand-and-freaking-two! Beat that, other Techdirt writers!). Often times these are nods to the birthdays of famous or important artists, scientists, or other historical figures and holidays. And if you have spent the past week or so living on Earth and aren't a rock, you can probably guess what these past days' doodles have been about.

But, as reader Jason writes in to note, the big Goog is apparently chilly on actually, you know, mentioning what the drawings are for when you roll over the image:

"The image url reference[d] the "opening ceremony" of something. But the tooltip for the image, which any seasoned Google user knows will tell you what's up with the logo that day, simply reads, "Hooray for sports!"

The two theories Jason came up with are that the search giant is afraid to even mention the sporting event in question for fear of reprisal by the committee that oversees said sporting event, or it's a sly poke in the eye at their overly aggressive sue-happy nature. Lord knows if the-games-that-shall-not-be-named are willing to go after gyro shops, a more prominent target like Google would seem to be a no-brainer. Now, it would seem to me that a prominent page like Google's home search page featuring the Olym...games-that-shall-not-be-named would be a great source of publicity for the sporting event, but thanks to the chilling effect created through lawsuit happy committees, that publicity is lost.

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Filed Under: doodles, intellectual property, olympics
Companies: google

37 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 11:55am

Do like with the Superblow
Just call it "The Big Games" ;)
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anon, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:01pm

LOL @ games-that-shall-not-be-named .. i love it
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sehlat (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:05pm

Just Curious
When did Lord Vold... er... he-who-shall-not-be-named become Chairman of the Games-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named Committee?
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arthbard, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:06pm

Games-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named
I just love that we're treating the Olympics like Voldemort, now.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:07pm

Re: Just Curious
My understanding is that he was voted in at the meeting-that-shall-not-be-named when everyone got together at the hotel-that-shall-not-be-named back in the month-that-shall-not-be-named.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:11pm

Evil google is at it again, trying to profit from other people's intellectual property.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:11pm

Re: Games-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named
After the opening ceremonies, I started calling it the Voldemort Games.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:14pm

good job too. the way these committees behave, they dont deserve to get any publicity at all! i still dont understand how anyone can actually believe they have copyright on a word that has been around and in use for thousands of years, or how they think that people will get confused between, for example, a Greek restaurant and a massive games assembly. just because a company puts sponsorship money up doesn't give it the right to destroy everything else, does it?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:19pm

Re:
Trademark != Copyright...

You can trademark any word as it pertains to a specific industry/product, regardless of how long it has been around.
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Ninja (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:22pm

Re: Games-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named
Sshhhh... Be vewy vewy careful. The servants of the devil, puppy kickers, Jesus haters may come for your head. The games-that-shall-not-be-named and shall-shall-not-be-linked are Satanic rituals that should not be disturbed in a derogatory manner.
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Ninja (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:23pm

Re: Re:
Chris Dodd should trademark Mafia then.
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Ninja (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:28pm

Yes! I managed to link to a Techdirt story from two-thousand-and-freaking-two! Beat that, other Techdirt writers!

And you probably managed to breach the Olympics copyright indirectly and made Mike infringe them retroactively. That must be a record!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:28pm

Re: Do like with the Superblow
O-Limp-Dick games.
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RonKaminsky (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:30pm

Re:
I got a great idea for a restaurant name: "TGTSNBN Gyros"!

On second thought, maybe not. I have the impression that just thinking about "those games" makes a lot of people want to puke, nowadays.
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:30pm

Re: Re: Games-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named
You mean the rabid rabbit rapists' rites? It's just awful.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:32pm

Spreading the word
Thanks to the buzz that the demonic-rituals-that-shall-not-be-named have created for themselves recently do to them going on, I have taken these chances to talk to people about the evils they have committed. Have been informing people of the censorship and bullying. Each time, I make sure to point out that I commend the athletes for being so skilled in their sports, but the games, their completely commercially exploited nature, and especially those in charge need to be strung out to dry.

After stating only 3 of the great many more instances there are in any conversation of the atrocities committed by those who run not-said event, most people are already agreeing with me about how they should not be supported. When people resist because they like watching the sports, it usually only takes pointing out that something else would step up to take their place because we all like watching the sports. It is just the committee running them currently that needs to be wiped from the face of the Earth.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:33pm

it's worth noting that clicking on today's doodle at least takes you to a search for "London 2012 table tennis"
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RonKaminsky (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:34pm

Re: Re: Just Curious
You mean he's also organizing the TPP negotiations? Wow, that dude really gets around!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:34pm

Hmmm... do you mean...
The games which I've been and will continue to completely ignore?
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technomage (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:40pm

Lol, I'm waiting for the trademark letter to come from the "English Female Writer that Shall Not Be Named" for dilution of her "shall-Not-Be-Named" brand.

We should have a 5-ring sport to see who gets the most c&d letters for a single post...
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DV Henkel-Wallace (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:45pm

Games
I thought it was basically a world wide marketing event with a small sporting exhibition attached.

Calling it "the games" is putting the cart before the horse.
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Cloksin (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 12:51pm

And people say that the holiday-that-shall-not-be-named-that-happens-in-the-last-week-of-December has gotten out of hand with its commercialization.
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pahosler (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 1:03pm

Re: Do like with the Superblow
I think the NFL already has a variation of this, "The Big Game", that I believe they were trying to keep people from using for Super [redacted] XLVI. I'm too lazy/rushed atm to look up the reference, but I believe the topic was covered here at techdirt.

Just wait until our brains are integrated into our electronics, we will be sued for just thinking the names of these things. There was actually a neat short story about this, also I believe linked at techdirt not too long ago.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 1:17pm

tooltip should say, "2012 [REDACTED] games"
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Lord Binky, 2 Aug 2012 @ 1:48pm

Re: Do like with the Superblow
Uber games?
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Yeah Right, 2 Aug 2012 @ 1:55pm

Does it?
My tooltip says 'London 2012 Table Tennis'. Is this a local thing?
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New Mexico Mark, 2 Aug 2012 @ 1:55pm

Re: Hmmm... do you mean...
Games?
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harbingerofdoom (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 2:05pm

how bout we just ignore the whole thing & be done with it?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 2:05pm

Re: Does it?
Mine says "Ping! Pong!"

I suspect they are putting up random things in an effort to show how ridiculous it is that we can not talk about the-games-that-shall-not-be-named.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 2:35pm

Are you all talking about the winter olympics? I thought those weren't for another two years!
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2012 @ 3:45pm

I wonder how scaring people about talking about the games helps the movement. It makes the movements leaders look like the result of the movement you should have every day.

Thanks to Harry Shearer for the funny in that sentence and thanks for following the insanity of the organizers on his Le Show radio show and podcast for the past several years. http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/ls
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Digitalistically Speaking (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 4:01pm

Unmentionables
There's Games That-Can't Be-Mentioned going on? Where That-We-Can't-Mention at?
i just want to mention but I can't.
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mischab1, 2 Aug 2012 @ 4:38pm

Re: Does it?
Probably. Mine has said 'Ping Pong' all day long.
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Sam (profile), 2 Aug 2012 @ 5:02pm

Re: Re: Games-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named
Voldesport?
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2012 @ 1:42am

Re: Re: Does it?
odd, mine says FUCK YOU ASSHOLE. Maybe its hacked?
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2012 @ 8:05am

What Google Should have Done...
Not change their logo at all. They should have just made a simple mouse over that simply stated "There is something going on in the world, but because of copyright BS we can't enjoy it like we should be able to."

or something to that effect.
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Yeah Right, 3 Aug 2012 @ 12:07pm

Re: Does it?
It looks like it's just a US thing. I've tried a few proxys in different continents and they all come up with London 2012 + the name of the sport. I haven't tried every country, so I could be mistaken.

Why on earth would Google be this silly just in their home market?
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