For Olympics, Much at Stake in Trademark Enforcement

By Anandashankar Mazumdar, Bloomberg BNA

Just as surely as Olympic torchbearers wind their way around Brazil, Olympics committees are moving to protect their trademark rights — worth hundreds of millions of dollars — in the lead-up to the 2016 Summer Games.

Trademark enforcement actions are as predictable as any other ritual surrounding the biennial Olympic Games, with committees typically facing criticism, mostly from small businesses, for fiercely trying to protect Olympic logos and phrases from use by any party that hasn’t paid — and the price is steep — to use them.

Mostly, enforcement stops short of lawsuits. It typically ...