The international Olympic Committee has a very thorough strategy for intellectual property in place in place to defend its rights. The strategy encompasses protected brands such as OLYMPIC GAMES, PARAOLYMPICS, PIERRE DE COUBERTIN, PARIS 2024, the Olympic symbol with the five circles, as well as several patterns of registered and unregistered design and copyright.
The Olympic Charter contains a thorough manual that controls their use. It begins with the following text: ‘The IOC is the owner of all rights in and to the Olympic Games and Olympic properties described in this Rule, which rights have the potential to generate revenues for such purposes. It is in the best interests of the Olympic Movement and its constituents which benefit from such revenues that all such rights and Olympic properties be afforded the greatest possible protection by all concerned and that the use thereof be approved by the IOC.’
There are four categories of official partners of the Olympic Games – Worldwide Partners, Premium Partners, Official Partners, and Official Supporters. These categories include global brand giants such as Coca-Cola, Visa, and Toyota. These companies pay considerable sums for the privilege of using the intellectual property of the Olympic Games and tie the Olympic races to their own marketing purposes.
