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Olympics Committee Says Non-Sponsors Are Banned From Tweeting About the Olympics (gizmodo.com)

An anonymous reader shares a Gizmodo report:The U.S. Olympics Committee has gone off the deep end, when it comes to intellectual property. It's willing to sue anyone to protect their trademarks, even when the use is no real threat. But the committee's latest claim is an entirely new level of absurdity. What's getting the U.S. Olympics Committee in a tizzy this time? Tweets. Specifically any company that tweets about the Olympic Games and isn't a sponsor. ESPN obtained a letter from the U.S. Olympic Committee chief marketing officer Lisa Baird who outlines the absurd demands. "Commercial entities may not post about the Trials or Games on their corporate social media accounts," Baird writes, apparently in earnest. "This restriction includes the use of USOC's trademarks in hashtags such as #Rio2016 or #TeamUSA. And according to ESPN, it gets even more absurd. Apparently the letter says that any company whose primary mission isn't media is forbidden from using any pictures taken at the Olympics, sharing, and even reposting anything from the official Olympics account.

7 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Oh dear lord... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes. This. OMG please please PLEASE do this more USOC! Cut your own tail off and eat it until there is nothing left! Please try and force non-sponsor businesses to avoid using your marks, your copyrights, heck, tell they can;t even mention that the Olympics are even happening so that we can all fucking forget about you, watch you finally die, and then maybe, MAYBE, see something better that is actually about the athletes and not lining the pockets of greedy scum.

    #tiredofyourshit #stopscrewingathletes #GFYUSOC

  2. oh if only... by yodleboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    if only all media companies would just say "screw it" and not post anything about the Olympics. No athlete info, no sob stories, no results, nothing, nada, zip, anywhere. I'd love to see USOC's collective heads implode. Sorry guys, but I don't care enough about the games to be funneled through your approved channels. Likely the drama in Rio won't be the games, but the sad state of the host city/country anyway. Good luck squashing THOSE stories...

  3. Re:Rhetorical... by Nidi62 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So what would happen if they held the olympics, and nobody showed up?

    They don't care as long as the IOC gets their bribes.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  4. U.S.A. only? by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So do they think they are the law in the U.S.A. only or all over the world?

  5. Re:Rhetorical... by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I expect we have enough people willing to watch just to see if it is a train wreck to make it worth it to the sponsor.
    Rio seems to be a disaster. I expect people will just want to see how bad it will be.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  6. One thing I don't understand by edbob · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why are the Summer Olympics being held in Brazil IN WINTER?

  7. TPP by blackomegax · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is the future of how all companies will behave under the TPP.