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IOC Trademarks Part of Canadian National Anthem

Posted by kdawson on from the can't-say-that-eh dept.

gravis777 sends us to BoingBoing for news that the International Olympic Committee has trademarked a line from the Canadian National Anthem and is threatening to sue anyone who uses it. The line in question is "with glowing hearts." "The committee is so serious about protecting the Olympic brand it managed to get a landmark piece of legislation passed in the House of Commons last year that made using certain phrases related to the Games a violation of law. The list includes the number 2010 and the word 'winter,' phrases that normally couldn't be trademarked because they are so general."

8 of 412 comments (clear)

  1. Re:2010 with glowing hearts by perlchild · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It will stop when passing legislation this stupid can land them in jail, and not a second before.
    I sure hope the estate of Callixa Lavalee(author of the anthem) is listening, and has contacted their lawyers...

  2. Sydney Olympic Games by myowntrueself · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Reminds me of when they found that they could not use the phrase "Sydney Olympic Games" because Mr Syd Games -- Mr Sydney *Olympic* Games -- had registered it as his trademark.

    Boy was John Clarke pissed about that.

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  3. Beat them ... by ProfM · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Quick ... need to trademark all even numbers between 2012 and 2100.

  4. Is the IOC really so powerful.. by hedgemage · · Score: 5, Interesting

    that they are able to subvert the host country's laws so effectively? I know that they have muscled around 'smaller' countries, but I would think that Canada wouldn't be so easily swayed. What am I missing that makes the IOC so powerful? Is it simply the 'investment opportunity' and business that the Olympics bring? Is national pride so easily wounded that we have to kowtow to their every whim? Its no secret that the IOC is incredibly corrupt and profit driven... how come modern democratic states aren't telling them to fuck off and clean up their act? Instead the US, Britain, Canada, etc. seem to be bowing and scraping to meet their every demand.

  5. I stopped paying attention by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Clearly the Olympics isn't about games anymore, that's why I stopped paying attention. I hear more about the crap surrounding it than the games itself. It's not fun anymore.

  6. Glowing hearts? by eagl · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Does that mean that Spielberg is gonna get sued for E.T.? What if I watch E.T. in winter 2010... Will they have to re-release an edited version with glowing heart censored out?

    Anyone else wondering if the IOC has strayed so far from the original spirit and intent of the Olympics and become such business-focused greedy rat bastards, that we need to give them the big finger and start over with a governing body that is actually focused on the athletes and the games rather than the money?

  7. Re:Mod parent troll by carlzum · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Americans are generalized far too much. People from Seattle and Vancouver are more similar than Seattle and Houston. Talk to people from North Dakota and the Canadian border. You can't say ND residents are more like New Yorkers or Southerns than Canadians. Quebec is an exception, the cities are like nothing else in North America.

  8. So what did you expect? by Lars+T. · · Score: 3, Interesting

    After the IOC got sued because some idiots "bought" tickets for the Beijing Olympics online from "beijingticketing.com"? Yes, you heard right, the IOC got sued because a lawyer claims they didn't protect their trademark. http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/other_news/1216133744.html

    --

    Lars T.

    To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck