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Posting Photos of Olympics Could Land You In Court

Posted by timothy on from the land-you-a-lesson dept.

hypnosec writes "With London's summer 2012 games due to take place in the very near future, you'd think that organizers would make more of an effort and persuade people to show more of an interest — yet it appears the complete opposite has happened, with strict guidelines banning athletes from posting photos of themselves on Twitter with products that aren't official Olympics sponsors, as well as prohibiting videos or photos to be taken from the athlete's village. Oh and just for good measure, fans could find themselves barred from sharing videos and photos on Facebook and YouTube of themselves delighting in said Olympics action."

43 of 394 comments (clear)

  1. Another by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    reason not to watch the Olympics

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    1. Re:Another by poetmatt · · Score: 4, Informative

      I never started missing them until they started these ridiculous rules.

      Now they're more difficult to find online and less valuable to me as a consumer, as their value is being decreased by the IOC.

      Way to go, IOC.

    2. Re:Another by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I watched the 2010 Winter Olympics. All of them, as much as I could, in HD on my new TV.

      Why? Because as a BC resident, I was going to be footing the FOUR BILLION DOLLAR bill for the rest of my working life. I figured I damned well should watch the spectacle. From the building of the Canada Line to the dead Romanian; from the the failed moving torch to the helicoptering in of snow from other locales to the demolition of the athlete's housing and their reappearance as low-income housing down the street (which, by the way, I think was one good thing to come out of Those Damned Games.), I saw the entire lifecycle.

      For what it's worth, I don't really understand the obsession people have with sports. It's like I've got a kind of colour blindness or something.

      --

      ---
      ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
    3. Re:Another by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Athlete's village

      Posted those years ago. I worked on the fire alarm system for the Athlete's village and took those photos on-site. The system itself is a disaster and totally unsafe.

      Go on, sue me.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    4. Re:Another by thereitis · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, the Olympics is a bigger crock of shit every year. I feel sorry for the athletes - they need a better venue. Half the sports are about being 1/100th of a second faster than second place which is insignificant, really. You could catch a gust of wind and lose that amount of time. They're all the best in the world - nuff said.

    5. Re:Another by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What do you expect? The entire thing is about monies from advertising.

      While it's nice to actually watch events, bullshit rules surrounding the events being broadcast, and rules like this restricting the fans and athletes are exactly while I'll likely skip the whole thing.

      Here's a case study: want to see how Capitalism can destroy something? Look at the Olympics.

    6. Re:Another by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      For what it's worth, I don't really understand the obsession people have with sports. It's like I've got a kind of colour blindness or something.

      It's the same reason why everyone else doesn't really understand our obsessions with cartoons, comic books, cult TV shows, and video games. Well, almost the same reason, in that we know our obsessions are way more importanter!

    7. Re:Another by dwywit · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Want to change things? Write a letter (NOT a tweet or email, or facebook posting) to the sponsors' PR departments. Say something like "I'm aware that you've paid $BIGNUM for sponsorship and associated exclusive marketing rights, but guess what? I'm not going to watch, and I'm not going to buy your products." Make sure you CC a copy to the IOC, and one to the local broadcaster.
       
      There was, IIRC, an estimate from marketing research that went something along the lines of "one person who actually takes the trouble to complain represents x number of people who are unhappy, but don't take the trouble to complain". If enough people made their views known to the sponsors, LOC and broadcasters, they just might take notice and change their ways.
       
      And pigs might fly, I know.

      --
      They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
  2. How's that for promoting international cooperation by killfixx · · Score: 5, Interesting

    and goodwill...

    Thank you for hosting the Olympics, now please cower in fear of the copyright police.

    I appreciate the Olympics, but I'm not giving up my rights just because my country is hosting them.

    No thanks.

    --
    "Helping to keep you two steps ahead of the Thought Police!"
  3. I feel sorry for the athletes but... by oraclese · · Score: 5, Insightful

    fuck the olympics. It's become exactly what it isn't supposed to be: a corporate circle-jerk to exploit potential for advertising revenue. The athletes come second, if they are lucky.

  4. My first reaction... by multiben · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...was bullshit. That can't be right. Then I RTFA. Holy shit! Way to go London - bring that Orwellian dream to life!

    1. Re:My first reaction... by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Remember this is the same country that wants to apply censorship to the internet by default.

      Maybe you should write to your MP and even see if the European parliament considers this legal.

      --
      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    2. Re:My first reaction... by azzy · · Score: 4, Informative

      The UK were essentially forced to pass the legislation - else they couldn't get to host the Olympics. For anyone interested http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/22/contents is a good place to start looking.

    3. Re:My first reaction... by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Informative

      This is just as bad as the orange dress incident at the World Cup. Women were being arrested for wearing orange mini-dresses because FIFA said they were ambush marketing for Bavaria. Never mind that some of them might be supporting the Dutch by wearing the national color of that country.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  5. Empty Threat? by alostpacket · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd love to see them try to actually take someone to court over this.

    --
    PocketPermissions Android Permission Guide
  6. Dear Olympics Committee by whistlingtony · · Score: 5, Interesting

    !@#$ you. No Really. !@#$ you.

    An event dedicated to showcasing the heights of human athleticism, and you've turned it into a cheap money making operation for yourself. You Suck. I will not be watching the olympics.

    1. Re:Dear Olympics Committee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      It was mostly symbolic

    2. Re:Dear Olympics Committee by JonySuede · · Score: 5, Funny

      my kitten just died at 05:51PM

      --
      Jehovah be praised, Oracle was not selected
  7. Just like Burning Man by bandy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    All your images are owned by us. God, I love the Corporatocracy.

    --
    "You might as well get your son a ticket to hell as give him a five string banjo." -unknown minister
    1. Re:Just like Burning Man by houghi · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What has Banksy to say about it? http://thequotesproject.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/brandalism.jpg

      People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disapear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on tv making your girlfriend feel inadequate.
      They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it.
      They are the advertisers and they are laughing at you.

      You, however are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

      Fuck that.

      Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours.
      It's yours yo take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rocj someone just threw at your head.

      Your owe the companies nothing.
      Less then nothing, you especially don't owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs. //Banksy

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  8. Really? by Fishbulb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are they completely ignorant of the ubiquity of cameras today? Forget the fact that most of those cameras are attached to something that can easily upload images to the world at large.

    This deserves a flash-mob style constant bombardment of images from the Olympics being uploaded during the games. Even if we get bored to tears of the sheer volume of Olympics photos uploaded, just overwhelm them with the obviousness of their own stupidity.

  9. Care? by WillyWanker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Does anyone even care about the Olympics anymore?

    1. Re:Care? by NonUniqueNickname · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Does anyone even care about the Olympics anymore?

      The athletes? Their families? Friends? Nations? In places where corporate sponsorships and performance-enchancing drugs aren't common, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to earn a place among the world's best. Hard work and dedication are still admired world-wide.

  10. This 21st Century isn't really starting right. by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can we all just agree it's 1999 again, and have a "do over"?

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
    1. Re:This 21st Century isn't really starting right. by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Huh, it seems the Rapture really did happen... and we are all the remainders just finally starting to notice we are in Hell :P

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    2. Re:This 21st Century isn't really starting right. by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Funny

      Stop agreeing with me, pedantically.

      --
      "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
      Never been known to fail..."
    3. Re:This 21st Century isn't really starting right. by jc42 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Except that year 2000 was still 20st century...

      Oh no! It's the old "There was no year zero in the Western calendar" bugbear appearing to drag yet another discussion into the depths and devour it.

      So far, my favorite comment on that topic is that the years 1 through 524 also didn't exist in our Western calendar. The numbering we use, usually called "A.D." (for Anno Domini" was devised in the year 525, and wasn't used before that time. Actually, it was hardly used by anyone except a few monks for several centuries after that.

      My other favorite comment on the topic is that today is also the start of a century - the century that starts today and ends 19 April 2112. Every day is the start of a century. So arguing against a popular "start of century" year is basically silly.

      Any group of people is free to settle on an arbitrary "epoch" as the start of their calendar, and many of us do just that. Thus, the unix crowd uses the start of 1970-01-01 UTC as the start of their time(1) date/time system, and nobody seems to chide them for missing the first 1969 years of the calendar. Astronomers also have their own favorite zero time, but use only years (with a decimal point and lots more digits to whatever precision they need at the moment).

      But silliness can be fun, so go at it ...

      --
      Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
    4. Re:This 21st Century isn't really starting right. by nebulus4 · · Score: 5, Informative

      So far, my favorite comment on that topic is that the years 1 through 524 also didn't exist in our Western calendar. The numbering we use, usually called "A.D." (for Anno Domini" was devised in the year 525, and wasn't used before that time. Actually, it was hardly used by anyone except a few monks for several centuries after that.

      What difference does it make if it wasn't used back then? It is used now.

      If you're 5 months old, it's your first year on Earth. If you're 1 year and 3 months old, it's your second year on Earth. Year 2000 is the 2000th year. In order for us to say that two millennia have passed the year must end, thus the new millennium starts in 2001. There's no year 0, because it would mean the 0th year of Christ on Earth. Which means he did not exist, ergo BC.

      My other favorite comment on the topic is that today is also the start of a century - the century that starts today and ends 19 April 2112. Every day is the start of a century. So arguing against a popular "start of century" year is basically silly.

      We are talking about Gregorian calendar here. The year doesn't start at April 19. You are free to create whatever system you like, it wouldn't change the Gregorian calendar though. Therefore, it's a silly argument.

      --
      "It would be wrong to refuse to face the fact that everything is fundamentally sick and sad."
  11. So let's see... by tekrat · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm an American. In order to attend the Olympics, I have to be stripped naked and groped in order to get on the airplane. Anything I do during this procedure that is not ordered by the goon squad is likely to have me arrested, where I can be strip searched again in Jail.

    When and if I get on a plane, anything of value in my luggage, such as ipods, cameras, and laptops are likely to be stolen by the baggage handlers, who are not searched and groped by the TSA, apparently.

    When and if I land in London, I'm likely to be searched again, what for, who the hell knows, but apparently it's standard procedure. At this point, I discover I've been robbed, but there's no way to file a claim, and yelling about it is just likely to get me arrested.

    And when I attend the games, I'm going to be sued for using my eyes and brain as a copyright infringement device, assuming I haven't shelled out for a new camera to replace the one that's stolen. And I would have to post the pictures to the internet, because I can't keep them in the flashcard of the camera, because that will be stolen on the return trip (or confiscated by customs).

    Yeah, let me see... Nope, I don't think I will be attending the games, or even watching on TV. Because who knows, they might sue me for watching it on TV. It's going to happen sooner or later, who wants to be the first test case?

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    1. Re:So let's see... by Nidi62 · · Score: 4, Informative

      When and if I get on a plane, anything of value in my luggage, such as ipods, cameras, and laptops are likely to be stolen by the baggage handlers, who are not searched and groped by the TSA, apparently.

      Fuck you. I am working part time right now as a baggage handler while I finish graduate school, and I can tell you that the last thing any of us want to do is stop and dig through each and every one of the 100 bags we handle at a time to dig through them looking for expensive electronics. Do you like handling other peoples' dirty laundry? Never mind that fact that we are already overworked and barely have time to do our jobs anyway, or that stealing is both wrong and illegal. We're out there in the heat, the rain, the cold, the snow. We couldn't give a shit what's in your bag, we just want to get done and go home. So, again, fuck you. My karma can take a hit.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    2. Re:So let's see... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      We couldn't give a shit what's in your bag, we just want to get done and go home.

      Some of your coworkers disagree.

    3. Re:So let's see... by Fned · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You wouldn't have to work so hard if you weren't covering for that guy who spends all his time rooting through people's bags.

    4. Re:So let's see... by PraiseBob · · Score: 5, Informative

      Your honesty is appreciated, but a simple google search reveals a new baggage handler theft ring busted at some airport every few months. So yes, it does happen, and has happened to both me and a friend. It is why I will never check bags again and always carry-on, and in turn directly leads to TSA rage because they take stuff out of my bag and throw it away and berate me for not paying attention to the size of my toiletries.

  12. Where is the list? by dohnut · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does the IOC maintain a list of the "Official ____ of the Olympics" products?

    I want to be on the winning team and buy all of the products that our fine athletes will be pimping non-stop between now and the next Olympics.

    Specifically, I need to know which companies they have chosen for the "official" toilet paper, ball-point pen, aerosol cheese product and galvanized roofing nails.

    TIA!

    --
    Stupider like a fox! - H.S.
  13. The Brits will royally screw this one up methinks. by dryriver · · Score: 5, Interesting

    London 2012 is going to be a farcical affair for start to finish. London traffic is already heavily congested without a major event taking place. With London 2012, its going to be nearly impossible to get around the Capital without getting stuck, stuck, stuck everywhere. Then, there's going to be a ridiculous amount of security all over the Olympics. Thousands of policemen. Helicopters in the sky. Boats out on the Thames. B-sniffing dogs. Biometric (face-recognizing) CCTV cameras anywhere. Then there's the hullaballoo about taking pictures. London 2012 security has been harrassing anyone who takes pictures of Olympics facilities, even from a far distance away (like a Kilometer or Mile), and from public land. Now there's this whole nonsense about only official Olympic sponsors being able to reference the 2012 Olympics, Olympic athletes being banned from tweeting or commenting about the competitions, people watching the Olympics not being allowed to share pictures or videos online. The whole thing is a big, stinking mess before it has even started. Good luck, London. With organizers like these, you'll need it.

    --
    Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Elon Musk put an AI chip in its head.
  14. Fuck 'em! by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They occasionally try to sue business with "Olympic" in their name. It has happened several times here in Washington State, where we have a large chunk of the state called the "Olympic Peninsula", and thus a lot of businesses with "Olympic" in their name. A few years ago they tried to tell some dry cleaner out in Port Angeles (in the Olympic Peninsula) that they could not call themselves the "Olympic Cleaners".

    Fuck 'em.

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
  15. Bribes by Wowsers · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's a well known (documented) that the London bid team gave bribes to the IoC to win the bid. Strange how not one person from the IoC or the London politicians are in prison. Better throw people in courts for photographing, that'll show those pesky taxpayers who footed the £10bn ($15bn) and rising bill.

    Just to add some detail to the "London" Olympics, the BBC has gutted their sports presentation for this event. They've lost half the Formula One coverage (with it going completely on contract end), and recently horse racing, and other sports too just to pay for the Olympics coverage. So while people wonder why for the next few years there will be no sports to watch on the BBC, they can reminisce on the 20-ish days of political jerk-off "sport" they didn't watch for the Olympics.

    --
    Take Nobody's Word For It.
  16. Re:How's that for promoting international cooperat by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What sounds completely insane to me is that UK actually had to create special new laws regarding copyright etc in the context of the Olympics for the benefit of IOC here. Do countries really value their sovereignty so little?

  17. Re:olympics are passe by cpu6502 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The what games?

    I have watched the games ever since 1992 (Barcelona?). Back then I setup a VCR to tape everything and watch it the next day, because I was on night shift. Now I use an analog DVR (replayTV).

    The Olympics are the only form of sport I ever watch, because there's lots of variety, and these are the world's best athletes. Could care less about football, baseball, et cetera. So once every 2 years I watch sports.

    --
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  18. Re:how is this legal? by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 4, Informative

    TFA:

    "In 2006, accordingly, parliament passed the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act, which, together with the Olympic Symbol (Protection) Act of 1995, offers a special level of protection to the Games and their sponsors over and above that already promised by existing copyright or contract law. A breach of these acts will not only give rise to a civil grievance, but is a criminal offence."

  19. And it's illegal to protest about it by AxeTheMax · · Score: 4, Informative

    A man was convicted of a minor offence for refusing to obey a police instruction to leave a green space on which an olympic practice pitch was to be built. He was then served a further order banning him from going anywhere near anything connected with the Olympics.

    "The asbo, which will be either confirmed or overturned by magistrates at the start of May, prohibits Moore from going within 100 yards of any Olympic-related venue, "route" or the home of participants, officials or spectators, or approaching any road where the Olympic torch will pass that day."

    That means a pretty large area. Since he lives in London and cannot possibly know where the homes of all these numerous people are, it seems to mean that he can be arrested for leaving his house.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/apr/17/protester-receives-olympic-asbo

  20. Re:How's that for promoting international cooperat by AngryDeuce · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh, they value their sovereignty, they're just monetizing it.

    You're not one of those freedom hating socialists, are you?

  21. Re:How's that for promoting international cooperat by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's in TFA:

    "Britain already has a range of legal protections for brands and copyright holders, but the Olympic Games demand their own rules. Since the Sydney Games in 2000, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has required bidding governments to commit to introducing bespoke legislation to offer a further layer of legal sanction.

    In 2006, accordingly, parliament passed the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act, which, together with the Olympic Symbol (Protection) Act of 1995, offers a special level of protection to the Games and their sponsors over and above that already promised by existing copyright or contract law. A breach of these acts will not only give rise to a civil grievance, but is a criminal offence."

    So far as I can see from a brief glipse at the law in question, it basically amounts to giving police powers to directly enforce whatever rules IOC comes up to. This, in particular, looks like it allows the police to arrest you on the spot if you're wearing a T-shirt with a wrong logo or anything like that.