New Ground On Celebrities' Rights

While millions watched Usain Bolt's triple gold medal and world-record breaking performances during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, some were making plans to profit from the sports celebrity's meteoric rise to stardom without any regard for or reference to him.

Merchandise, trade marks and websites bearing, comprising or displaying the athlete's name or image burgeoned within days of the Olympian's historic feats, falsely implying either an association with or an endorsement by Usain Bolt. Some particularly ingenious people who were evidently tracking the his steady rise to success over time filed pre-emptively for the registration of intent-to-use trade marks comprising Bolt's name or derivatives thereof, in various countries including the US, Jamaica and, not surprisingly, China which received several such applications.