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The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) must spend a majority of the four-year break between Olympics thinking up new, spectacularly petty demands to make of everyone when the next event rolls around. It's always been overbearing and thuggish, but it seems determined to top itself with each new iteration of its sports-related boondoggle.
In the run-up to this year's particularly dystopian Olympic games, being hosted in a city without clean water or a clean police force, the USOC has already demanded:
- That a company take down Olympic-related social media posts pertaining to the Olympic athlete the company is sponsoring
- That no non-official commercial entities are allowed to use certain hashtags in tweets
- That no "non-media" companies are allowed to refer to the Olympic games, outcomes of events, or even share/repost content posted by official Olympic media accounts
It's these last two that are being challenged -- not by a megacorporation unable to buy its way into the USOC's good graces, but a Minnesota-located franchise of the Zerorez carpet cleaning business.
A small business in Minnesota is suing over the US Olympic Committee's ban on tweeting about the Olympic games. The Committee announced last month that non-sponsors are banned from even using hashtags like #Rio2016 or #TeamUSA. Zerorez, a carpet cleaning business in Minnesota, will file suit in U.S. District Court on Thursday.
So why is this seemingly random floor cleaning business in Minnesota the one suing? They simply want to root for the home team.
"They're very engaged with social media," Aaron Hall, CEO of the JUX Law firm, told me over the phone. "They felt concerned about being censored on social media, especially at a time when we're going through a time of pain and negativity."
(Score: 2) by wisnoskij on Sunday August 07 2016, @03:13PM
That no non-official commercial entities are allowed to use certain hashtags in tweets
Interesting, while I am not aware of that ever being tried in the West, it seems doable. Just take out a Trademark on the hashtag phrase, and you own it like any other phrase you invent and register.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 07 2016, @04:18PM
The purpose of the trademarks is to prevent confusion in the market. AFAIK, the restrictions don't apply to you if you're not in the same business as the trademark grant specifies. A computer repair shop can freely tag their posts with #CocaCola. Furthermore, trademarks don't apply to obvious or geographical terms. A fruit store can use (but can't trademark) the name "Apple", and Apple Inc. can't legally do anything to stop them.
However, the USOC does not only hold trademark on anything Olympics related; they managed to get a specific law passed that gives them much more control. Behold the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act [wikipedia.org]:
The Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act is a United States law (codified at 36 U.S.C. Sec. 220501 et seq. of the United States Code) that charters and grants monopoly status to the United States Olympic Committee, and specifies requirements for its member national governing bodies for individual sports.
Yes, a government-sponsored monopoly. Also, that monopoly does not apply only to sports - USOC is very trigger-happy and has sued restaurants, stores, newspapers...
In any case, while trademark law doesn't go that far, USOC is claiming that the above-mentioned law gives them legal right to do things like block any commercial entity not paying brib- I'm sorry, sponsoring the Olympics* from even mentioning the word "Olympics". The business that's suing them claims, among other things, that an interpretation that broad conflicts with the First Amendment.
I say that we should allow USOC and IOC to take sole ownership of those words and never mention any of them ever again.
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* Sponsoring the Olympics, but not the athletes! Businesses that sponsor the athletes, allowing them to train, qualify for and go to the games, but not official Olympic Games sponsors, are also forbidden from congratulating their athletes [techdirt.com]. If they do, the athlete will be disqualified.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 07 2016, @11:47PM
Create DRM that uses the phrase as its decryption key.