Organisation: International Olympic Committee

The international rules on ambush marketing and promotional activities surrounding sports events present a complex maze for counsel to navigate

01 September 2016

The Wimbledon Tennis Championship kicked off this week, and compared to the continuing World Cup in Brazil and the previous Olympics event in London, trademark policing around the event appears to be significantly lower key.

27 June 2014

The debate over additional rights protection mechanisms for IGOs and INGOs in the expanded gTLD space has been hotly contended. While ICANN’s New gTLD Program Committee has voiced opposition to protection for IGO acronyms, the GAC has issued a communiqué reiterating its position that such mechanisms are necessary. INGOs may wish to take the lead themselves rather than wait for the ICANN process to play out.

22 November 2013

Ralph Lauren’s application for the '.polo' gTLD has been the subject of a successful community objection by the US Polo Association pursuant to the New gTLD Dispute Resolution Procedure. Among other things, the panel found that the '.polo' gTLD would operate as a restricted registry to promote Ralph Lauren’s brand, which would impair the polo sports community’s ability to promote the sport of polo.

06 November 2013

The ICANN board’s New gTLD Program Committee has approved two resolutions designed to provide additional trademark protections to certain non-governmental organisations and intergovernmental organisations. The new measures would afford the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement and the International Olympic Committee with the second-level protections they have been striving for.

29 November 2012

The last few weeks have seen Olympic sponsors come under media attack for, among other things, restricting the sale of chips, selling alleged ‘sweatshop-manufactured’ products and sidelining the great British beer. But what impact does negative coverage have among consumers? Two media monitoring services suggest the pros of sponsorship clearly outweigh the cons.

26 July 2012

It has been a busy week at ICANN HQ. While it has revived the issue of trademark protection at the second level and issued the draft implementation model of the Trademark Clearinghouse, the application process remains at a standstill – with today’s planned re-opening of the online application system further delayed.

17 April 2012

It is no surprise, with the application window open and the ICANN community meeting in Costa Rica, that the most-read story on <i>WTR</i> in March centred on the expanding online world.

03 April 2012

The GNSO Council will recommend that ICANN protect the International Red Cross and International Olympic Committee names at the top level in new gTLDs, following a tense round of voting on the issue. While the resolution passed by a single vote, NCSG members were vocal in their criticism of the policy development process.

27 March 2012

A vote on proposals to offer the International Red Cross and International Olympic Committee increased protection in the new gTLD space was deferred yesterday, a move that one commentator noted would effectively defeat the motion. However, negotiations are underway to keep the issue alive.

15 March 2012