9 August 2024: Dos and don'ts of Olympic advertising
If like us, you have been glued to your TV watching sports
you'd not heard of before over the last few weeks (kayak cross
was a new one for us!), you'll have also spotted brand owners
vying to catch the attention of the Olympics' captive audiences
with creative adverts that have taken on a very athletic turn. The
International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, has strict
guidelines governing use of its ample IP portfolio, and we have
taken a look at some important dos and don'ts of
Olympic-related advertising below.
What IP protection does the IOC have?
Olympic symbols are protected under the Olympic Charter, which
offers international protection of registered designs, copyright,
trade marks and other rights protecting intangible assets linked to
the Olympic Games. This includes patents, trade marks, registered
designs (and other IP rights) owned by the IOC in the Olympic
designations (e.g. Olympic Games,
