Olympics Crack Down On Anyone Mentioning Them Without Paying... As White House Tells Everyone To Set Up Olympics Parties

from the ip-violations-galore! dept

We've covered for years how overly aggressive the Olympics are in protecting their "IP" -- to the point that they often get special laws passed that grant them extra IP rights, which they use to block pretty much anyone who hasn't paid from using the word "Olympics" at all, or even having a non-sponsoring brand shown anywhere (yes, even if that means taping over the brand on toilet fixtures in bathrooms around the Olympic grounds). Hell, we just reported on the Olympics going after a 30-year-old restaurant named Olympic Gyros.

So it struck me as somewhat surprising to get an email from the White House, saying that I should create my own (or join in an existing) "Olympic Fun Day Meetup." Of course, as a participating country, I'm sure that the Olympics grants the US government wider leverage in using its name, but if anyone else in the country suggested something as crazy as creating a special "meet up" around the Olympics, how quickly do you think the Olympics would send in the lawyers to demand a takedown?

Filed Under: ip, meetups, olympics, protection, white house