Once you have created a brand and you have trademarked it and own it... You must now defend it and destroy all who would seek to infringe upon it for personal benefit.
The London 2012 Olympic committee has organized their own enforcement army, clothed in purple, which is in the midst of investigating, fining, prosecuting or intimidating into submission the likes of 81 year old grandmothers, local florists and butchers, long established English businesses have been forced to change their names or face fine up to $60 000.
French fries have been banned at over 800 retailers at the behest of McDonalds who hold exclusive rights.
The the imperial (based on their purple uniforms) international corporate olympic army and are not only attacking local business but are investigating the British 'Royal family'... Kate Middleton's parents business, an online retailer is selling unofficial olympic themed merchandise that has caused concern.
Here is the list of banned/controlled words/symbols:
The Olympic Symbol (the five interlocking rings)
The Olympic Motto (Citius Altius Fortius' / 'Faster Higher Stronger'
Olympic (s)Olympiad (s)
Olympian (s)
The Paralympic Symbol (the three 'agitos')
The Paralympic Motto ('Spirit in Motion')
Paralympic (s)
Paralympiad (s)
Paralympian (s)
London
Games
Summer
Two thousand and twelve
2012
Twenty Twelve
Medals
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Sponsors
One clever owner has avoided prosecution and is being hailed as a hero for this clever work around:
The Olympics was once a celebration of human achievement, international peace and camaraderie... The games were reborn from ancient Greece, as an idea for social reform in Victorian Britain...
It has become the most blatant example of corporate harlotry and fascism: thus perfectly reflecting our narcissistic consumer culture. In perfect unity with the prevision of goodwill and clean sports to corporate profit, the mascots of the games are two giant one eyed monsters...
That's right penises.
Apparently that mascots charge 1000 British pounds to attend school events... but somehow marketing these abominations for bachelorette parties seems more profitable.
Why the nearly bankrupt country of Greece has not sued the IOC for usurping their moral and historical ownership of the Olympics or at least the name Olympics is beyond me... If it is possible to own single words certainly Greece should have a claim on that one.
Woe to you daughters of England! For the language you birthed in your youth has been sold into slavery in Egypt, it has been exiled to whore in the palaces of Babylon and bleeds for the pleasure of Rome. As you find your tongue and your pen bound and silenced, only your sword will stand between you and the corporate apocalypse.
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/london-olympics-branding-police-subverted-devilish-formalwear-shop-173007466--oly.html
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/07/23/olympic-brand-police-out-in-full-force/
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/middletons-receive-royal-treatment-olympic-faux-pas-195222485--oly.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2151907/London-2012-Olympics-What-Much-Wenlock-teach-todays-greedy-control-freaks.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britain-flooded-with-brand-police-to-protect-sponsors-7945436.html
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/07/23/olympic-brand-police-out-in-full-force/
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/middletons-receive-royal-treatment-olympic-faux-pas-195222485--oly.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2151907/London-2012-Olympics-What-Much-Wenlock-teach-todays-greedy-control-freaks.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britain-flooded-with-brand-police-to-protect-sponsors-7945436.html
Duncan!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome post! Thank you for sharing! As for me I actually very torn on this issue. Should company's that don't sponsor athletes be allowed to benefit financially from an event t hey don't invest in?
I don't like how commercial the Olympics have become and part of me won't watch some of it because of it. But here's the other side of it too. Corporation fund athletes. They invest the money to train the athletes in return for advertising and any profits made for people who are happy to support that company who invested in the athelte. Is it really fair for a company like the Gap for instance to make money off the Olympics under the pretense that they are supporting an athlete when they are really not. So one the one hand I completely hear you and on the other I don't think its fair for companies who did not invest in athletes to make profits under the assumption that they do. Like Kit Kat for example.
I suppose we could fund them publicly - but considering that most countries can't even afford to run their countries - I don't think that's a wise idea. Why should we invest milliions of dollars in athletes when there are only two place in on the Vancouver East Side for the homeless to get clean drinking water?
So that leaves us with coperations which I don't like either but the alternative would mean the people we send to the Olympics would pay their own way and since being an athlete is almost a full time job for Olympians we wouldn't be able to send any.
I think we need a new solution. A solution where where money is not the aim of the Olympics and solution that doesn't take away from the needs of the people.
Dan,
DeleteGreat response! I get it. Corporate sponsors pay a lot in order to use the Olympics to market their products... that has to mean something. But it shouldn't mean that the 10 year old falafel joint has to change their name or that the local sausage make can't make some sausage olympic rings. Cities and countries spend a lot of money to host the Olympics. In Vancouver we are very aware of this. We are told that this money and any inconvenience is worthwhile due to shorter and longterm economic gains, although i would be interested in seeing an actual study on the topic. Anyway I get it. I get trademarks and branding and the whole thing, intellectual property rights are something I care about... I am not advocating anarchy (at least not right now). BUT I think a line has been very clearly crossed from reasonable to insane. Only McDonalds can make french fries??? The words London and 2012 and silver are off limits??? The Falafel joint has to change its name? The florist can't do up a bouquet of Olympic rings? The are have moved from protecting intellectual property to the prohibition of support and celebration of the games. A uniformed police force on patrol? This is crazy.
Secondly, while Canada does not place particularly large amounts of money into sports, lots of other countries do, in particular, the USA. This is an interesting dynamic within the competition itself is that richer countries with better funding do better... Let us not pretend that the playing field is equal. Better training and better equipment matters and is usually achieved with money - as the whole swimsuit thing proved 4 years ago. Lots of countries also provide their athlete with financial incentives for medals, I do not believe that Canada does...