Olympic Committee Cracks Down On Domain Owners 197
RollingThunder writes: "The Globe and Mail has a story about the International Olympic Committee suing to have 1,800 domains removed. All the domains contain the words 'Olympic', 'Olympics', or 'Olympiad', and variations thereof like '2004olimpics.com'. Interesting that they're going after the DNS hierarchy (the lawsuit is filed in Alexandria, Va.) rather than the daunting task of going after the domain owners themselves." Wow. Maybe they could organize something where the domain owners could compete in a variety of fitness tests and games, you know, like the... Oh, never mind.
Only interesting because... (Score:1)
Re:Not necessarily... (Score:1)
Not long, though nothing to do with trademarks unless it could kidnap people at gunpoint to get customers then if would go bust PBQ.
It is possible for someone to open a resturant called "McDonalds" however. You'd need to get permission from Lord McDonald of McDonald, who takes a rather dim view of the American company misusing the name.
Re: special, gay olympics (Score:1)
Though when they started they at least stuck to sports events, not things completly unrelated. On the other hand had they complained to the White Star Line they might have been offered free tickets to the next ship
Re:"Olympic" is not PD? (Score:1)
Also the US special staute probably has no legal basis whatsoever. Unless it took the form of a constitutional ammendment...
Re:The word Olympic means..... (Score:1)
So does that mean I can put a trademark on the work Jesus Christ? And sue anyone who has a domain like it? Or sue any churches?
I'ts not as bad st that, but it's still the same principle.
Next we will have more of the same (Score:2)
-- Moondog
Re:Uh oh. (Score:1)
I rember them telling us about this and we all laughed. But which one is around now?
Guess I wont be donating anymone to any olympic teams until they figure out what they should be spending their money on.
They might actually win (Score:1)
Don't doubt for a second that the IOC can win this. They've successfully sued long-established businesses from using the term "Olympic" (as someone did mention -- Atlanta 1996).
The truly frightening thing, and I've asked about this before, is the fact that the understanding that "Trademarks are only for a certain domain of products" is very quickly withering away. Pilot pens suing over PalmPilot is but one example.
The big question, in my mind, is why is that principal tenet of Trademark Law disappearing? And why doesn't it (apparently) apply to the internet? Fact is, I *should* be allowed to register, say, coke.com, even if I have *nothing whatsoever* to do with CocaCola. As long as I don't sell a cola called 'Coke,' I'm not violating any trademark.
Just because it's stupid doesn't mean it can't happen.
So what would happen if?... (Score:1)
I do think the deserve www.olympics.com but anything else is just ridiculous. "Hey, I tried to see what was happening with the Olympics but I keep getting this pizza place instead!" "That's because you accidentally type pizza after olympics..." "Oh! Silly me!"
Re:"Olympic" is not PD? (Score:1)
You are correct that trademarks do expire over time. However, they expire if they are not defended - and the widespread use of Olympic in so many contexts makes it almost certain that, barring special statute protection a la the US, the IOC would lose trademark status if anyone fought them sriously.
Oh to be a multimillionaire happy to drop a few bucks on doing just that...
True, but you should be careful lest you perpetuate misinformation yourself.
Re:The word Olympic means..... (Score:1)
What dictonary are you using?
Re:Normal word in the language (Score:2)
And then you would have to sue every bathroom user
Hmmmm... ...discourage NSI's Monopoly? (Score:1)
Olympia belongs to everyone (Score:1)
Re:remember that nsi owns your domain names :) (Score:1)
Re:IOC Press Release... (Score:1)
translation: we DO want users duped into purchasing any useless item, just because is "official sponsor of the Olympic Games"
Can I register ïëõìðéáêüò with NSI? (Score:1)
ATTN: IOC -- Legal Dept
Registrant:
Olympiakos A.E. (OLYMPIAKOS-DOM)
3643 Elder Oaks BLVD Suite 6209
Bowie, MD 20716
US
Domain Name: OLYMPIAKOS.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact, Billing Contact:
Georgiou, Kiriakos (KG120) kiriakos@UNFORGETTABLE.COM
Olympiakos A.E.
3643 Elder Oaks Blvd Suite 6209
Bowie, MD 20716
301 809 6157
Record last updated on 17-Apr-2000.
Record expires on 04-May-2001.
Record created on 03-May-1995.
Database last updated on 13-Jul-2000 21:05:17 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS2.OLYMPIAKOS.COM 207.176.88.85
NS1.TPC.INT 207.102.129.130
Registrant:
NICK TSOUFLIDIS (OLYMPIAKOS6-DOM)
708 ELMWOOD AVE
BUFFALO, NY 14222
US
Domain Name: OLYMPIAKOS.NET
Administrative Contact, Billing Contact:
Tsouflidis, Nick (NT2329) webmaster@MODERN-NET.COM
Modern Networks
708 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222
none of your business (FAX) none of your business
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
mydomain Support (MS311-ORG) support@MYINTERNET.COM
mydomain Support
Email to address provided
Email to address provided
BM
+1 (888) 700-4087
Record last updated on 26-Jun-2000.
Record expires on 07-Apr-2002.
Record created on 07-Apr-2000.
Database last updated on 13-Jul-2000 21:05:17 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.MYDOMAIN.COM 216.34.89.1
NS2.MYDOMAIN.COM 216.34.89.2
NS3.MYDOMAIN.COM 216.34.89.3
NS4.MYDOMAIN.COM 216.34.89.4
Re:Never attribute to malice... (Score:2)
Think of all the special "olympic stuff" that you can get from places like mcdonalds, etc.. mcdonalds makes lots of money off that stuff.. and they give the olympics alot of money to use the logos..
it's money that's the issue.. not misrepresentation.
wish
---
Re:The word Olympic means..... (Score:1)
They do have a point in going after sites that are blatently trying to use the Olympic games/Committee to make a quick buck, ususally in a not so tasteful fashion. what I have a real problem with is them doing this carte blanche lawsuit to nail *everyone* who even remotely refers to the word Olympics. Far too many innocent people are going to get nailed due to their arrogance.....
Never attribute to malice... (Score:4)
Or maybe they figured that since they were going to the DNS services anyway instead of the individual owners, they would be able to get rid of everything in one fell swoop. How canthey be that callous with other people's resources?
Re:What about the high school geeks? (Score:1)
Re:No... it's malice. (Score:1)
Re:How can this work? (Score:1)
Many other sports organizations have to modify the rules of their games somewhat, or face prosecution from the Olympics.
I mean, aren't these the same people who were taking bribes?
Getting their act straight (Score:1)
I registered one customers domain name, and a couple days later I recieved an email from NSI stating the domain name we were registering was invalid because it contained the word 'olympics' in it.
The domain name? joescigars.com (not the real domain name, but it was for a cigar company).
It took two weeks worth of phonecalls to them to clear this up.
Re:Just out of curiosity... (Score:2)
No. Note the address of my web page...
Re:Prior Art (Score:1)
The Elgin National Watch Company made high tech watches from 1864 until around 1964. At the time, the watch movements (think CPUs) were made by different companies than the watch cases (think computer cases).]
Well, I think I can shed some light here by quoting/paraphrasing some stuff from "Elgin: An American History" by E. C. Alft. (The book is really about the history of the city of Elgin, but the city and the watch company are very related. A good book even if you don't care too much about the particular company/city because it describes how one, reasonably typical american city grew from 1835 until 1985.)
Anyway, here is the quote:
The word Olympic means..... (Score:1)
Main Entry: Olympic Pronunciation: &-'lim-pik, O- Function: adjective Date: 1590 1 : 1OLYMPIAN 2 : of or relating to the Olympic Games
So, the word itself refers to the Olympic games, and there is no reference to other uses. The only legitimate claim is for people who live in, or near, places like Olympia in Washington state, or have registered trademarks using the mythological work Olympia or Olympic (Like Olympic Meats).
My point? While they may have a legitimate beef against companies trying to profit on the Olympics name (like sex sites), trying to have 1800 web sites pulled is ludicrous. They should do their research first, and check to see if the site has a legitimate claim to the URL.
Now, if someone could only register the URL www.OlympicsForDummies.com, then we could REALLY have a fun time.
Re:Legit uses? (Score:1)
In my hometown, a greek diner called the Olympic Diner was sued by IOC for their name. Anybody out their who knows what OM, or Odyssey of the Mind, competitions are might remember that they used to be called Olympics of the Mind before IOC sent their pack of trained watch-lawyers after 'em.
It is things like this that make me realize I don't have the foggiest idea how the court system in this country is supposed to work.
CJW
setting a standard? (Score:2)
------------------------------------------
If God Droppd Acid, Would he see People???
The Olympics and the White House... (Score:2)
Here's my problem with all this...whitehouse.gov and whitehouse.com. The two have existed now for at least four years. I am posative that if the government really wanted to, they could "pressure" whitehouse.com to change their domain name, but they don't. Why? Well, they're probably smart enough to know that they'd get some heavy fire if they did, but even so...one little mistake and some innocent kid looking up a government web site could find himself at a porn site.
So, if a government web site and a porn site can get along, why can't some stupid difference between www.olympics.com and www.olympics24_7.com?
Re:Not necessarily... (Score:2)
I wouldn't need any permission from Lord McDonald to open such a restaurant in the US. He has no legal grounds to stop me. McDonald's Corporation would, however, put a stop to it real quick. I doubt I could open a McDonald's laundromat without facing their lawyers.
Wouldn't a simple disclaimer be in order? (Score:1)
But it is worse than ridiculous that legitimate websites are being shut down in order to preserve their own profits.
Re:Prior Art (Score:1)
Any ways, my point is, this has absolutely nothing to do with the phrase "Prior Art", which really only means anything in terms of patents.
Re:goofy lawsuits (Score:1)
This has to rank as one of the most stupid things I've seen not only on salshdot, but anywhere on the net, and the net is a famously vast repository of stupidity.
Try spending some time with people with emphysema. It's one of the least pleasant ways you can die, and one of the least pleasant ways for friends and family to have to watch someone go.
Olympic Paint (Score:1)
Guess I'd better buy my paint quick before the IOC puts them out of business!
Re:OT: Katz and Corporatism (Score:1)
Boss of nothin. Big deal.
Son, go get daddy's hard plastic eyes.
Re:The Olympics and the White House... (Score:1)
Re:IOC goes too far (Score:1)
Not surprising (Score:2)
People who live in Olympia, WA, will be miffed (Score:1)
Kind of hard to trademark a place name, if you get my drift.
www.olympicshardware.com for example (not a real URL, probably) or www.olynews.com for a weekly newspaper.
Uh oh. (Score:4)
Those pesky worldwide US laws (Score:1)
Just out of curiosity... (Score:1)
Re:"Olympic" is not PD? (Score:1)
There are obviously now registered domains containing the term 'Olympic'. When did this policy change?
(Or am I mistaken as to the scope of this former ban?)
I apologize in advance to my friends in Amtgard... (Score:1)
Maybe a smallish LARP founded in the American southwest slips under their radar? (Maybe the people of Amtgard take great pains to make sure that, if any Olympic events are in the US, Olympiad is located well away from the area, as it's held in a different "kingdom" each year...)
Jay (=
(For more info on Amtgard, to go http://www.amtgard.com/ [amtgard.com])
There's no reason (Score:2)
Re:Prior Art (Score:2)
Re:Realtor®; generic terms (Score:1)
Yeah, but that goes out the window in cases of very high-profile tradmarks. Take Apple records vs. Apple Computers as an example. So while "Olymp*" may technically refer to "near or pertaining to Mount Olympus or any other similarly named mountains", what comes to mind first for damn near everybody in the world is the Olympic Games, so they have a high risk of trademark dilution.
"Olympic" is not PD? (Score:2)
I hope they get laughed out of court.
Topher
Got Freedom? [lp.org]
No... it's malice. (Score:5)
We're talking about the people who won't let you use footage of *yourself* competing for less than $1000/second... even though they've never shown the footage to anyone, and nobody ever saw you win your medal. They're cutting back numbers in most sports (particularly those with weight classes, like wrestling, weightlifting, judo and taekwondo), so that they can economicially keep including more sports (like synchronized swimming and fscking ballroom dancing), for media reasons. Similarly, countries must now qualify their athletes, if they want to compete in the games. Of course they still talk about de Coubertain's vision... "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle."
Anyway, that's the IOC's up to on the surface. I won't go into the corruption stuff, since I can't substantiate it... I just saw a lot of it, and heard about a lot more. Suffice it to say that the bribery scandals weren't much of a shock. The amusing thing was, just as they were going on, the USOC was cutting back towel service for the OTC athletes, due to lack of funding. Scumbags. They're worse than the NCAA, and that's saying something.
Anyway, no, this is a huge moneymaking organization which certainly doesn't give a damn about anyone else's resources. Heck, they even warned us not to use the rings on our web pages or fundraising stuff. This sort of thing is very typical of them; it's not stupidity.
Legit uses? (Score:4)
Eric
This is an outrage! (Score:1)
Hey, why do pizza places have greek shit on the walls anyway? Isn't pizza sposed to be italian or something?
Re:"Olympic" is not PD? (Score:1)
Hey, _your_ Congress, not mine. Copyright law is still done on a per-nation basis (modulo a few international treaties), so I don't think they would have a basis for suing the Olympic Gyros place beside my school, for example.
Donny
Re:they did it in Atlanta too (Score:1)
Trademarks only apply if the alleged violator is participating in the same business activity as the holder.
Re:Not surprising (Score:5)
I suggest that everybody contact Michael Payne, the Marketing Director of the IOC and let him know what you think. The address is:
Michael Payne, Marketing Director
C/O International Olympic Committee
Château de Vidy
1007 Lousanne, Switzerland
Or, if you don't mind the phone bill, call them at 41.21.621.6111.
Or fax them. (41.21.621.6216)
If you would rather pester the Organizing Committee for e-mail addresses of who to contact, call them in Salt Lake City, toll free, at 1-800-212-2002 (Fax: 1-800-364-7644)
Re:How can this work? (Score:2)
I remember when Zilog started sending threatening letters to any computer company that had the letter Z in its name, claiming that it it infringed on their corporate identity (they were best known for their Z80 processor), or some such nonsense. I seriously doubt that they'd have prevailed in most cases, but few wanted the costs of taking on a major corporation (backed by Exxon, incidentally), so they had to rename their companies. The point being, they don't necessarily have to have a valid legal case, they can use the intimidation factor to get their way.
Re:Oh-Oh (Score:1)
Not necessarily. Just because the IOC has anything Olympi* trademarked doesn't mean that they won't/haven't given other groups the right to use it. My guess is that Special Olympics has long requested and has been granted rights to use the terms contained in Olymp*
ObTangent: This whole thing is about as lame as having the term Realtor trademarked...
Live from Utah, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics.. (Score:2)
And now, live from Utah, the capital for Olympic (TM) bullshit
from the same award winning team that brought you bribery, illegal scholarships, collapsing buildings and corrupt Olympic (TM) officials, its "Get your damn hands off of my name"
*clap*clap*clap*
-----------------
But seriously folks, be glad you don't live here in Salt Lake City, we have to put up with this hipocracy daily. They lie cheat and steal to get the Olympics here, but now that they have it, they will be angry if anyone butts in.... I am truely, truely sorry that you all have to watch the 2002 winter olymipics in your own country be so throughly screwed up. I really am.
You know, I agree with their restriction against people using the 5 rings. Thats their defining symbol, they should be allowed to use it. But going after the world "olympic"???? Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't olympic mean more than "2 week long corporate sponsoring orgy?" I am pretty sure it also means "grandious" (as in the Olympia Mountains as someone has previously mentioned).
Seriously now... the USOC and the IOC and the SLOC (Salt Lake Olympic (TM) Committee) have f*cked up enough. Save your dignity and have some respect for what the Olympics are really about.
Re: special, gay olympics (Score:1)
Gay Olympics lost the trademark suit.
Re:Right (Score:2)
For instance no matter how much money I pour into branding a drink called Water, I can't get trademark rights to it. This is why AMD comes up with lame names for its products like the Duron, so that they can create a branded product with trademark protection.
A trademark can only be retained indefinately if it retains its uniqueness, which if it enters the common vernacular (as was the case with the specific examples above) you lose it. This generally means if your brand becomes associated with an entire class of products you will end up losing your trademark.
But you are correct that it is not the same as patents or copyrights, but in any normal sense the olympic trademark would have been denied because the term had been in common usage for centuries.
What about the high school geeks? (Score:2)
Kate
IOC Press Release... (Score:2)
"This is clearly wrong. We are going to continue going after these cybersquatters for three main reasons," Mr. Pound added. "One, we don't want people making profit from Olympic trademarks that does not get returned to the athletes in some way. Two, we don't want consumers duped into purchasing items they think are Olympic-related when they are not. Three, we need to protect the values of the Olympic Movement against uses out there that are clearly illicit."
Prior Art (Score:5)
IMHO, it might be good to steer clear of everyone in the Olympic Committee for a while. The Greek Gods never had good aim with those lightning bolts.
Wrong (Score:2)
cellophane
escalator
thermos
nylon
harmonica
linoleum
trampoline
yo-yo
zipper
Here's a link [courttv.com] and here's another [sparc.org].
So the question is did the Olympics become common usage or has the modern olympic commite reinstated the mark's value through their promotion, and thus should get exclusive use of the mark. Aparently the people who assign trademarks felt they had a valid mark (but its equally possible they were wrong).
However, trademarks are only protected for use in trade and aren't ment to stop free expression. Thus you should be able to set up a non-profit site like www.theolympicssuck.org and they shouldn't be able to stop you. OTOH the intent and the implementation of the law often aren't the same.
Always be aware of the basic rule of the road, you may be in the right but do you really want to try to prove it by stepping into a crosswalk in front of the speeding truck?
Happened to us... (Score:2)
We were just a small ISP at the time and there's no way we could have fought it so we just caved. The most irritating thing was that I checked "olympic.net" a few years later and it was being used by "Olympic Paints".
--
Quantum Linux Laboratories - Accelerating Business with Linux
* Education
* Integration
* Support
Damn! (Score:2)
Don't worry about the organizers of the "Special Olympics" and the "Science Olympiad" - they have permission.
Damn, I was hoping that they'd try to sue the Special Olympics so that entire IOC would be immediately tarred and feathered, putting a just yet comical end to this utter bullshit.
It would bring new meaning to the phrase "international community" when representatives of every nation on the planet compete at outdoing each other in expressing moral outrage at those who bring lawsuits against disabled children.
Re:No... it's malice. (Score:2)
Coincidentally, there's a little blurb in the TV Guide (Canadian edition anyways) about the 1976 Montreal Olympics, which started that year on July 17th. The original budget for the Games was $310 Million, but after corruption, labour disputed, and general screwing around, the final cost was $1.4 Billion.
As of 1994 the Government of Quebec still owed $304 Million.
It took almost 20 years for the roof of the Stadium to be completed, and it didn't work!
I'm still amazed people want my city (Toronto) to have the games, given the Salt Lake and Quebec scandals. Yeesh.
At least from what I've heard, Sydney's aren't over-budget!
Pope
Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength! Monopolies offer Choice!
Bring back the old-style olympics .... (Score:2)
Oh, and did I mention? .... everyone will have to compete naked .... that whould keep the NBCs of the world away .....
Re:Make them post a bond (Score:2)
--
Realtor®; generic terms (Score:2)
This whole thing is about as lame as having the term Realtor trademarked...
The generic term for REALTOR® is "real estate agent." But "Olympic" itself is a semi-generic term that can also mean "near or pertaining to Mount Olympus or any other similarly named mountains." (Fully generic terms are not protected under US trademark law.) And doesn't trademark law have separate "spheres" of trademark rights? (Sports is one sphere; pizza is another sphere; etc.)
<O
( \
Special exemption (Score:3)
Careful distinctions must be made (Score:2)
Regardless of whether or not these points are valid, this kind of thing MUST be handled on a case-by-case basis. That's how the American legal system works.
Re:No... it's malice. (Score:2)
Things have changed, and the pivotal year was 1984. The '84 games were the first to really start raking in the money. Before that, things were often on a shoestring... but now hosting the games means a fortune to a city. Which is why, if I recall correctly, there's a $100,000 fee just to turn in your (book-sized) application to have your city host the games. I think that's confidential information, by the way, so don't tell anybody. ;-)
Re:Bring back the old-style olympics .... (Score:2)
----------------------------
Re:Legit uses? (Score:2)
Most of the "Olympics" and "Olympiads" out there, according to our present system, must get IOC permission to use Olympic in their titles.
The IOC got special legal protections above any beyond any other trademark in most countries because the arena was, at one time, one of the major venues of international pride. Certain eastern european countries had the equivalent of a Cabanet/Ministerial post devoted to (winning) The Olympics, and many countries in the west were little better.
Don't worry about the organizers of the "Special Olympics" and the "Science Olympiad" - they have permission.
However, a few years back, the formerly named "Gay Olympics" were forced to change their name to the "Gay Games". (Apparently the english word "Game" can't be trademarked, even though the English, Greek, and other multi-lingual word "Olympic" can be.) Also, the courts completely chuck common-sense out the window when judging these lawsuits.
I'm not saying this is how it should be, but that is how it is.
Re:The word Olympic means..... (Score:2)
Molog
So Linus, what are we doing tonight?
remember that nsi owns your domain names :) (Score:4)
NSI set themselves up to be sued... remember how everyone was/is mad at them for saying that they OWN all domain names? well, now it's comming back to bite them in the asses
Can you get more hypocritical? (Score:5)
They could use the term 'olympics' for the modern game because it was already in the three-thousand year old public domain. Just because the modern incarnation has been around for a century and has become high profile doesn't give them a magical right to take the trademark out of the public domain!
Going after others that use the name in the spirit of the original games (science olympiad, special olympics, etc.) is admitting that the modern olympics shouldn't have had the right to use the name for the past century!
Kevin Fox
Re: special, gay olympics (Score:5)
At the conclusion of the Gay Games this past month in Amsterdam, an ancient question arose. Why can't the Gay Games be the Gay Olympics? Many participants seemed to be perturbed that the games were being unfairly made to refrain from the use of the word Olympic.
The answer has it's historic roots in decisions made by the resurrectors of the Olympic Games over 100 years ago. No games has been singled out or treated differently. The IOC has since it's beginnings held steadfast in it's opinion that the word Olympic be used for the Olympic Games alone, the Special Olympics being the one exception.
In 1913, Japan, China and the Philippines established a regional games which were called the "First Asian Olympic Games". The name was changed to the Far East Championships for all subsequent editions.
When Alice Milliat, the founder of the Federation Sportive Feminine International, wanted to establish events for women in 1922, she called her games the Jeux Olympiques Feminins. Pierre de Coubertin and the IAAF took notice. A compromise of sorts was agreed to. The FSFI would drop the use of the word Olympic, and the IOC would admit women into it's games.
In 1923 Frenchman Jean Petitjean was promoting his first games for university students as the University Olympic Games. De Coubertin again protested and convinced him to change the name. The International University Games were established, and are know known around the world as the World University Games, World Student Games or Universiade.
More recently the Huntsman World Senior Games were inaugurated in 1987 as the World Senior Olympics, but were made to change their name to the World Senior Games the following year.
Various Police and Fire Olympics have been asked to refrain from using the word Olympic to describe their events.
The case involving the Gay Games (International Olympic Committee vs. San Francisco Arts and Athletics, 781 F. 2d 733) was decided in January of 1986.
So what about the Special Olympics? The Special Olympics were begun by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968. The use of the word Olympic by her organization was addressed by the USOC in 1971. At that time the USOC gave it's approval for the Special Olympics to be the exception to the rule and the only organization outside the Olympic movement with permission to use the word Olympic. This permission would be expanded in 1988 when the IOC recognized and endorsed the Special Olympics movement.
In this context the lawsuit between the IOC and the Gay Games in the early 80s becomes just one of many instances in which the IOC has asked organizations to reserve the use of the word Olympic for the Olympic Games.
--
Let the Greeks sue them (Score:4)
And, for those of you that want to know, fucktheolympics.com, fucktheioc.com, and olympicdoghumping.com are all available.
Re:Legit uses? (Score:2)
Doh.
This is not new. (Score:4)
IOC is Fascist (Score:2)
Personally, I don't give a rats ass about the olympics. I would rather be out participating in a sport than watching it in some tramped up production put on by scoundrels.
But, that is just my humble opinion.
Will they sue... (Score:3)
Arrgh.
sulli
Re:"Olympic" is not PD? (Score:3)
...phil
Oh-Oh (Score:4)
Make them post a bond (Score:4)
Oh great... (Score:2)
Last I checked, the word Olympic belongs to the Greek language, and not to the IOC.
This is about as ridiculous as Amazon's attempt to patent one-click buying.
Maybe I'll form a pizza-cooperative and begin suing pizza-hut, papa john's, etc...
gitm
How can this work? (Score:2)
This is another example of shoddy copyright protection, and it unfortunately puts the burden of proof on the accused (the people with the domains) instead of the accusers, due to the way the commission is doing this.
So, what's next, do they start forbidding the sale of commemorative Wheaties boxes with Mary Lou Rhetton on them? Maybe they'll sue all the sites with action based names like jump.com and runner.com and swim.org because they refer to activities that occur at the Olympics.
Re:Not going to the Olympics Boycott... (Score:2)
These and more from Domain Diaries [domainhandbook.com], brought to my attention through Google.
Re:Legit uses? (Score:2)
Re:The word Olympic means..... (Score:2)
So, the word itself refers to the Olympic games, and there is no reference to other uses.
Actually, Webster's dictionary sold the rights to the definition. Hey, with their dictionary freely available online, they've got to have some kind of "business model", right? Why not sell the right to modify the meanings of words? Microsoft could define 'internet' as 'MSN'. Coke could pay to have the metallurgical meanings of their name removed from the dictionary.
My point, all kidding aside, is that the dictionary is hardly the place you want to be looking for establishing who is the rightful owner of anything. Dictionaries describe language use, they don't *prescribe* it. At most one could argue that they do a little of both. In neither case are dictionaries authoritative in a legal sense. If they were authoritative, no one could trademark any words because to do so would fail to fully conform to the 'canonical' use of the word. In other words, you imply that in order to qualify as a *potential* trademark, any commercial use of a word must conform to the dictionary-defined usage. I find such a proposition ludicrous at best.
Dictionaries can be corrupted and bent to serve a nefarious purpose just like any other human institution. When it comes to dictionaries, it seems as if we are still stuck with the 18th Century's optimism about objectivity, despite showing considerable cynicism about absolute truth in other matters.
So how does congress control this? (Score:3)
Yep, just reread that section, and guess what: It's not there. The closest congress comes is regulation of interstate trade, which the current supreme court actually thinks means "interstate trade", as opposed to congress's "whatever the hell we want". Trademark is protection against fraud. This law granting exclusive use of this word to a single organization is not about protecting against fraud, and isn't about anything congress is empowered to do.
Re:Uh oh. (Score:3)
Actually there was a guy in Olympia, Washington who's swimming pool company was named Olympic Swimming Pools. The IOC sued him. Although he did win the lawsuit, legal bills caused him to shut down.
The IOC is a bunch of real assholes. Personally, I don't watch the olympics, read about the olympics or even CARE about the olympics for that matter. Just keep me out of it.
Simply stated, I'd like to see some counter-suits caliming malicious prosecution. I mean, you can't get any farther from trademark violation.
they did it in Atlanta too (Score:5)
-tim
Re:Live from Utah, home of the 2002 Winter Olympic (Score:2)
Hey, it could be worse, you could be in Sydney.
It's so bad over here that one of Australia's top rating shows is The Games [abc.net.au], a mockumentary satirising the Sydney Olympics' organisation.One of the more amusing storylines was the registration of a personal domain by a Mr. Sydney Games . . .
Re:There's no reason (Score:2)
Not necessarily... (Score:2)
Not always true. If the trademark is sufficiently famous (as decided by the court), then nobody can use it. Try opening a business called "Microsoft Burgers" and see how long it lasts.
Hmm... (Score:2)
Re:Special exemption (Score:5)
Short synopsis:
--