# Olympics 'Mugs'



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Is the enforcement of the Olympics advertising brand guidelines being taken a step to far?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18965338

Some of these items have been around for years, or may be sold in other countries who are not hosting the 2012 Olympics.

Would you be more likely to buy a mug like this if it was official merchandise? Or are you not really that bothered?


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## RobD (May 2, 2012)

the IOC own the "Brand" rights to the Olympic rings and flag only, i get the feeling that the mug just happened to be an innocent bystander in a silly story, they do not own the rights to word Olympic, think they may have overstepped their jurisdiction on this one.

Anything like this would put me off buying it rather than encourage me,


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

Nothing to do with IOC or copyright or brand ownership - it's the Olympic Games Act 2006. Considered by some to be a totalitarian response to possible ambush marketing and a wholly un-British piece of legislation. Look at the case of the Olympic cafe - forced to change a name it used long before the 2012 games were thought of.

Sent using Tapatalk 2


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

When I heard the dates for the olympics my thoughts were to book a trip to another country for the full duration of this media hyped sellathon. Olympic mugs indeedNow even on the forum one cannot get away from it.

ian--(away from UK)


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

You'd be a mug to buy an olympic mug..........LOL


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## jacksg (Jul 18, 2012)

Interesting article! Even if it were 100 times less tacky than the one in the video, I would have no desire to purchase a mug or any other 2012 merchandise.


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

This is what LOCOG did to my sisters office when the torch passed through Braunton http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Olympic-window-display-gets-ll-sue-threat/story-16238118-detail/story.html it was this whole OTT appoach to Olympic branding that put me off the whole thing in the lead up to the games. I have since been of the thinking though that the Olympics is about the games and is something to be immensely proud of, even if EVERYTHING surrounding Olympic branding and marketing plain sucks! Athletes aren't even allowed to wear or carry 'non sponser brand' clothing or accessories!!

We had better hope LOCOG don't get wind of this thread as they might sue us all for not paying for the right to type the work Olympics!


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

My own feeling is that in your sister's company's position I would have considered telling LOCOG to go take a jump - it would seem extremely unlikely that a prosecution would ever have been taken as they would look totally ridiculous in Court.

It'll be interesting to see just how many prosecutions they actually end up taking. Perhaps they might do a bit better than the Census people did in 2001 - over 1.5 million census forms not filled in - number of prosecutions: 38. About a 1 in 40,000 chance of being prosecuted. (Figures for 2011 not yet available)


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

I don't think any court would even look at it! It's pathetic and to be honest if that is the case, it should have been up to LOCOG to approach every business on the torches path and inform them that makeshift displays are viewed by LOCOG and sponsers as 'financially benefitting from unlicenced advertisement of association with the games' and not as a generous display of support for Team GB and the Olympic games, to which we are host and of course all financially accountable for for the next however many years!

Yes, in Webbers position I would have stood tough!

As I said though I am very proud to be hosting the games and the opening ceremony alone has more than made up for all the petty and pathetic nonsense.


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## RobD (May 2, 2012)

Well thanks to this thread I have been paying a bit more attention to stories of Locog and the IOC over steeping the mark,

three that have shocked and slightly concerned me of the over zealous and some what megalomaniac tendencies of the whole set up have been,

1 the Visa fiasco, you can pay for anything in and around any of the venues on any other card other than Visa and they have removed or disable any non Visa cash machine!! Thought that this would breach competition legislation??

2 the Chip ban that Mac Donald's have had imposed, apparently exclusivity rites that they have bough as part of their sponsorship. in and around the venues you cannot sell chips unless it with Fish, McD's are the only ones allowed. So forget trying to sell knock of mugs, if you're a local café, no chips on the menu for the duration of the games.

3 this is the one that bothers me the most, apparently the crown prosecution service has been sending out letters before the games to anyone that has been arrested or charged with graffiti offences is banned from or around the venues or public transport and been put on bail, but without charge, yes they can do this, it's a lope hole in the law that the government love, http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/jul/18/graffiti-artist-adidas-banned-olympic

I feel very sorry for the Olympic café and any other business that has got caught up in this silliness, and I find the use of the courts and abuse of power deeply disturbing.


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

We're not sleepwalking into a police state..................we're already in one !


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

Nothing new -goes back to the early days of Maggie Thatcher and the miners' strike when some people thought that the police took it upon themselves to deny people who had committed no crime the right to drive around the country.


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## RobD (May 2, 2012)

unfortunately Vintagecigarman is right, i can remember protesting against the criminal justice bill when i was younger in a certain park, and the gates being pulled down at 10 Downing street, they called out the army! but they got most of it through eventually and it gave them huge powers, then you have all the newer laws under the mane of anti terrorism that get used and abused.

But at least its not a dictatorship like China where they Bulldozed peoples house without compensation to make way for the Olympic park, opps sorry i forgot they did!!


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