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Now that 2016 is upon us, Olympic and Paralympic Games focused marketing is already beginning to emerge. With the Rio Olympic Games fast approaching, we can expect Olympic and Paralympic themed messages to slowly infiltrate every aspect our lives as businesses around the world make the most of the International sporting event which comes but once every four years and unites the world through sport for a short period of time. For those readers that want to get into the spirit of the games, it is important to ensure that you do not infringe the intellectual property associated with the Games. Below, we have set out a brief guide to illustrate what you can and cannot do when it comes to using official branding.
There is a vast amount of Intellectual Property associated with the Olympic and Paralympic Games which comprises logos, symbols, images, videos, official expressions, anthems and songs amongst others. The IP associated with the Games is a forever growing body of rights which expands to incorporate new IP at each edition of the Games.
The principal protected IP consists of:
The Olympic Rings
The Paralympic Agitos
The Olympic & Paralympic Flames
The Olympic Motto
‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ (Latin for ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’)
The Paralympic Motto
‘Spirit in motion’
As well as the Olympic and Paralympic creeds.
Other protected IP includes the look of the games, mascots, pictograms, posters, medals and torches associated with the Rio 2016 Games, as well as historical versions of these things which have been associated with previous editions of the Games.
In addition, there are a number of protected expressions and designations including ‘Olympic Games’, ‘Paralympic Games’, ‘Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games’, ‘Rio 2016 Games’, ‘Rio Olympiad’, ‘Rio 2016 Olympiad’, ‘XXXI Olympic Games’ to name but a few.
Only organisers and official partners of the Games can use the official Rio 2016 brands for commercial purposes. Other third parties can make limited use of the Rio 2016 brands within the guidelines prescribed by the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Third parties who are not official sponsors or partners of the Games cannot use the Rio 2016 brands for:
Third parties who are not official sponsors or partners of the Games can use the Rio 2016 brands for:
The key message is to avoid using the Rio brands for commercial purposes and to avoid creating false associations between the Games and third parties who are not official sponsors or partners of the Games. If in doubt, you should seek authorisation to your use of the brands.
Detailed guidelines can be obtained from the website www.rio2016.com/en/copyright and you should consult this website for updates and further information before using the Rio 2016 brands.
If you have any further queries regarding the use of the official Rio 2016 branding, then please do not hesitate to contact us via our website at aathornton.wpengine.com. Our registered trade mark attorneys are qualified to advise on all aspects of trade mark law, and provide the following services:
Category: Latest Insights | Author: Sarah Neil | Published: | Read more