IOC Claims Olympian Lindsey Vonn's Name As Intellectual Property 399
Posted
by
timothy
from the somebody's-got-to-dirty-the-pool dept.
from the somebody's-got-to-dirty-the-pool dept.
gehrehmee writes "As usual, the International Olympic Committee is coming down on hard on people mentioning things related to the Olympics without permission. This time it's UVEX sporting supplies, which sponsors Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn. Without explaination, their front page was today updated to include a tongue-in-cheek poem about UVEX's interaction with the IOC. Can the IOC really claim an Olypmian's name as their own intellectual property?"
Not outside the realm... (Score:2, Interesting)
...of possibility. VANOC, the Sponsors, and the IOC have done a number of things that could be considered downright criminal.
- Closing two of the main viaducts in and out of downtown.
- No stopping zones on large stretches of major roads.
- Only accepting Visa or cash at all the venues.
- Only allowing games related traffic on the road between Vancouver and Whistler during most hours of the day.
I tried to create a rumour that Bell, another major Olympic sponsor, was forcing the shutdown of all non-Bell cell sites around the venues, but I don't think people understood the implications of that if it were to happen.
Re:IOC is not a U.S. organization (Score:4, Interesting)
True, but the onus is on them to stop use of "their" IP. They'd have the bring the suit in the US to stop anyone from using the name here, and within the context of that suit they WOULD be subject to the laws of the US.
Re:IOC is not a U.S. organization (Score:3, Interesting)
What does ACTA have to say about that?
Re:It depends... (Score:3, Interesting)
I now view it as a viscous commercial enterprise that exploits the dreams of young athletes.
Viscous? Yes, those marketing sleazebags certainly are an oily bunch. :)
I've been flipping over to NBC every once in a while to see what they're showing. Most of the time I hit either a commercial or reporters sitting at a desk talking about events. My best guess is that their contract has limitations on the amount of actual event time they can show -- either a fixed cap or some kind of dollars per minute arrangement.
Which is to say; I share your disillusionment.
Re:Not outside the realm... (Score:3, Interesting)
I should point out that most people going to the Olympics, like most people who live in Greater Vancouver, use the excellent light rail system there.
Why the heck would you want to pay $50 to park a car when you can get there faster by light rail - including the ski hill - for less than $5?
Re:Sure they can claim it (Score:4, Interesting)
False. All you need to do is say "So sue me or FOAD." Then they have to:
Most lawyers letters are bluffs.
Most people fold.
It costs nothing to call their bluff and see if they take the next step, which is ... a demand letter giving you x number of days or else they'll sue.
Re:Sure they can claim it (Score:4, Interesting)
The problem here is not the crazy guys (in this case at the IOC).
The problem is us as a population, buying into their bullshit, despite it only hurting us, and only being for their advantage.
There are different ways to deal with bullshit: ;)
1. Blindly believe it, because the other one is so dominant, and you are so weak. The choice of the coward. But the default choice of about 70% of the population for 70% of all events.
2. Accepting it as a valid view, but engaging in an argumentation to refute it, because you have a own sense of reality, but are not secure in it. A lost case, since the other side is not employing logic, but delusion. You will be dragged down into their game, play there rules, and inevitably lose. The choice of an additional 25% of the population / for 25% of all events.
3. Ignoring or laughing at it, because you have a secure sense or reality, and know that it is bullshit. This is done by only maybe 5% of the population / 5 % of the time. Tops. Because that only is the case for those who are either leaders (not necessarily with followers)... or delusional cowards... or both.
Seems that the amount of people who understand the rules of bitspace, as opposed to meatspace, and who are also leaders, is way too small to change anything. :/
And from my experience, that is because we geeks are not very secure around “normal” people. We are not the cool guys in school. But there really is no reason for this. It’s only a self-fulfilling prophecy. Social conditioning.
I say, let’s change that. Today. From now on. :)
If anyone of you has children: Also teach them to be leaders. To be secure in their reality. And in the process: Teach it to yourselves.
Re:Sure they can claim it (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Streisand Award (Score:3, Interesting)
View from Vancouver of Olympic hypocrisy (Score:5, Interesting)
I live in Vancouver. I could not agree with you more.
McDonald's started running an ad before the games. I think it speaks for itself. It shows a big box of golden french fries. Beside them the words "Why Wait? Go For Gold."
Last weekend, along with my wife and son, I visited one of the "free" events for Chinese New Year. We wanted to see a Chinese dragon, dancing, and so forth. At the entrance, volunteers searched my bag and poured out my bottle of water. This was for the benefit of Coca-Cola Corp., which was selling bottled tap water (Dasani is tap water) for $3.50. I was literally (I don't mean figuratively) spitting mad. You don't go somewhere with a little kid unless you have food and water.
Keep in mind that this is not a private party: it is funded by billions of public money and staffed with thousands of volunteers. We have shut down major streets, suspended colleges and universities for two weeks, and passed specific laws for the benefit of the Olympics. Or rather for the benefit of its sponsors.
But of course this is a "green" Olympics. As the Coke booth banner read, "Refresh. Recycle. Repeat." - and you can't recycle if you're already reusing! A sign on the booth said a green light would go on when the booth was running solely on solar power. A spokeswoman had gathered a crowd of children, who were competing in a Jeopardy-style contest to guess just how Green Coca-Cola is.
So yeah, that's what the Olympics does. It speaks of sport and healthy living, then promotes poison to kids. It exploits athletes who give decades of their lives and sign recording-industry-style contracts for the hope of a few minutes of fame. It exists outside the law (truly: a Canadian court ruled the Olympics violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but did nothing because the IOC is outside Canadian jurisdiction). It goes from city to city, arranging with politicians and business leaders to transfer public money into private pockets.
Re:Sure they can claim it (Score:3, Interesting)
As I said initially, most are bluffs. They might be willing to spend $50 here and there, but when they're looking at $15k a shot and the likely damage awards are minimal, they usually look for other low-hanging fruit instead. If you're in the right, say so and tell them that you welcome service of their lawsuit. Send them the courthouse address where they have to file it, since almost all the time they won't even have that information, since they're rarely local yokels.
If they do file suit, learn how to draft your own motions and how to serve them via fax. Start running their meters through the roof with hearings. They'll get the message.
Re:ISO and IOC are similar in my view (Score:2, Interesting)
If this caused you to lose faith in the IOC, then it is because of your naivete in trusting sporting organizations. This is nothing compared to the NFL, or some of the shenanigans NCAA pulls, or FIDE. FIDE may be the worst of all.
I'm not at all an expert on the World Chess Federation, in fact I had to look up on Wikipedia that FIDE was a French acronym that means World Chess Federation. Please enlighten me to the shenanigans they pull. Is IBM [wikipedia.org] not allowed to be mentioned at FIDE events because Intel or somebody is their official sponsor?
Re:ISO and IOC are similar in my view (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Sure they can claim it (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Sure they can claim it (Score:3, Interesting)