Take down those rings! Florist falls foul of ban on Games logo

Yet another stupid case of red tape spoling the fun of what could be a great event for the public....

WITH the Olympic torch relay due to pass through her town, florist Lisa Cross decided to create an appropriate window display.

The five rings and a torch, all made from tissue paper, were a hit with customers. But then trading standards officials warned her that the rings constituted an ‘unauthorised use’ of the Olympic logo and left her at risk of being sued by Games organisers.

'They said Coca-Cola owns the copyright of the Olympic ring design because they are the official sponsors, and they would sue me.

'I’m only a little business, and being sued by a huge company like them would wipe me out - it’s terrifying.

Source: Take down those rings! Florist falls foul of ban on Games logo

How pathetic can it get? Would Coca Cola be that threatened by a small time florist, who unlike Coke are not making anything from the Olympics, that they have to ban a bit of games spirit like this?

They wonder why many people in the UK just don't put any effort in any more?

The games organisers and Coca Cola should be thanking the florist, not hitting them with threats of lawsuits.

Maybe everyone should boycott anything to do with Coca Cola?

This is just typical UK at the moment though. Join our celebrations for the jubilee...but fill out a lengthy application form first! Hold a street party or a cranival, something that usualy brings communities together....but don't forget to pay a huge fee to do so first!

I say get the whole town to hold a massive street party, send out a letter to the councils saying they are not invited and that they can stick any applications of fees where the sun don't shine. Have a huge party, everyone bring something.....nobody takes responsibility for it, nobody is in charge....who are they gonna sue?

CX.

The world's crazy isn't it. I wish people would stick up for themselves and each other a bit more.

My daughter's school are making olympic torches, hundreds of them. I bought the gold sequin waste from ebay and the seller is barely keeping up with the demand. What this lady did is basically the same thing. She's not selling anything to do with the olympics, just putting a symbol out there, in the spirit of good-fellowship, so to speak. But that's the problem, cameraderie and joining in isn't wanted, it's ticket sales and whatever other rubbish the organisers want to sell, and NOBODY's gonna get a cut.

I'd love it if everyone turned off their TV sets and did something else when the olympics start but I really wonder if they would care or notice.

It reminds me of the little pub called the Hobbit and the trouble surrounding the name they've used for 20 years. Hobbit pub threatened with legal action Aren't these innocent people helping the big nobs anyway?

If its copyrighted, its copyrighted. Its the law to protect intellectual property, not just to ruin fun. She should contact the copyright owners to see if they would be willing to loan out its use or sell its use to her for a fee.

Though, she could attempt to make the symbol public use, like Santa Claus. The question is, does she care enough to start up a campaign like that?

I'd like to know just WHO reported the lady for her olympic rings in the first place.

Only a tosser would do that.

Hoi, TOSSER!

Originally posted by wigit
It reminds me of the little pub called the Hobbit and the trouble surrounding the name they've used for 20 years. Hobbit pub threatened with legal action Aren't these innocent people helping the big nobs anyway?

Lol thats one of the pubs i go to, has a lot of music on there.

Well good on your daughters school for not fearing the big corps lawyers. How stupid would it look anyway taking a bunch of school kids to court for making olympic signs.

It's a shame because ordinarily i love the olympics, but to be honest this time round i couldn't care less.

CX.

I think that is BS
But I found some info
www.acluutah.org...

Text
The United States Olympic Committee and Trademark Infringement

November 20, 2000

The Amateur Sports Act, 36 U.S.C. 380, gives the International Olympic Committee the exclusive right to prevent any person from using the following items for the purpose of trade, to induce the sale of any goods or services, or to promote any theatrical exhibition, athletic performance, or competition:
The symbol of the IOC consisting of five interlocking rings

The emblem of the corporation

Any trademark, trade name, sign, symbol, or insignia falsely representing association with, or authorization by, the IOC

The words Olympic, Olympiad, Citius Altius Fortius, or any combination or simulation thereof tending to cause confusion, to cause mistake, to deceive, or to falsely suggest a connection with the corporation of any Olympic activity.

Change the ring colors

City-wide protest with written "invitation" to the comitee to stay at home? That would be an immature reaction.

Face it, Olympia is a sale. Everything is owned, nothing is for free!

Originally posted by TsukiLunar
If its copyrighted, its copyrighted. Its the law to protect intellectual property, not just to ruin fun.

Thats fair enough if she was making money from it, i'd agree with that. I've made things before that have been copyrighted and i've been pissed when people have copied my designs and tried to sell them as thier own.

However all this woman is doing is raising some games spirits. She's not making anything from it. If anything she is boosting the advertising of the games and getting more people interested. That will bring more money in for the games rather than take away from it.

I totaly agree with finding out who grassed on her.....probably some hobsworth who is being paid to go round looking for this kind of thing.

CX.

Originally posted by ManFromEurope
City-wide protest with written "invitation" to the comitee to stay at home? That would be an immature reaction.

I think it would be the perfect reaction.

CX.

Originally posted by CX

Originally posted by ManFromEurope
City-wide protest with written "invitation" to the comitee to stay at home? That would be an immature reaction.

I think it would be the perfect reaction.

CX.

No, it would just be like something my kids would do to mock other kids: "MY party is waaaaay better than YOUR party, but you are NOT invited! Näääänäääänääää (mocking sounds )".

In reality it's like the circus is coming to town. You'd think whatever country was hosting the olympics would be in charge of the rings symbol. But no, it's a big business. Should be blooming ignored.

It's like the London marathon really, I used to watch it on telly for all the fun runners, that's what the whole day was about and the serious runners would get a little mention here and there. Now it's all about the serious runners and NO fun.

reply to post by redneck13


That is exactly what I was thinking, change the colors or make a different pattern of the rings, and copyright it!

In general, now that I know that coke owns the olympics it gives me another reason to not like the games.

Originally posted by wigit
My daughter's school are making olympic torches, hundreds of them. ... just putting a symbol out there, in the spirit of good-fellowship,

The International Olympic Committee is a multinational, multiBILLION dollar private club organisation.
Through various marketing means, including the torches, the lighting ceremony, the olympic rings, the opening ceremony, and the torch relay, they have managed to convince the masses that they are your friends.
They are not your friends.
They are a multibillion dollar marketing corporation, based in Switzerland, for tax reasons.

You should no more hang out rings or make torches, any more than you would make the logo of any other multibillion dollar corporation ( News Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell, Citibank, Facebook, etc...)

All they want is your money.

Support your athletes instead.

I dont and wont buy into any of it..
The Olympic games are just another way to keep the maasses 'contented'
Just like the Romans used to with their coloseums.. and look what happened to them !!

Coca cola can go take a long running jump off a short cliff.. Can't stand the stuff, don't like the company (like many others)

If I was that shop owner, I'd say stuff 'em, let them sue.. fight it every step of the way.. it'll cost them more money to do that than it would to let it go and let someone enjoy the moment..

Lose the business because of it? Ah well, pick up and start again..

What a slap in the face for Coke if they did try to sue.. talk about shame yourself...

I find it hard to grasp how anyone in Stoke on Trent gives enough of a toss to grass her up in the first place.
I'll try to nip past the shop this week see if she's taken it down, methinx not.

Originally posted by ManFromEurope

Originally posted by CX

Originally posted by ManFromEurope
City-wide protest with written "invitation" to the comitee to stay at home? That would be an immature reaction.

I think it would be the perfect reaction.

CX.

No, it would just be like something my kids would do to mock other kids: "MY party is waaaaay better than YOUR party, but you are NOT invited! Näääänäääänääää (mocking sounds

)".

Yeah, fair enough.....just don't invite them then.

CX.

reply to post by Suspiria

I find it hard to grasp how anyone in Stoke on Trent gives enough of a toss to grass her up in the first place.

I agree entirely....but is it any wonder when we live in a society that actively encourages and even pays people to snoop and grass on their own family and neighbours for the slightest thing.

I used to enjoy the Olympics as a sporting spectacle but I think these games are an insult to everyone in the UK living outside of London and the surrounding areas and through it's marketing etc it has come to represent everything that I detest about the corporate whore, banker owned system we live in.

Originally posted by Suspiria

I'll try to nip past the shop this week see if she's taken it down,

Tell you what, here's an idea..

Pop into the shop... if her hard work is still up on display.. great...
Tell her that there are people out there, like myself, who support what she's doing/done.. show her this thread if you have to...

Wether it is up or down, tell her to make another bigger one..
But this time, one that says...

ATS deny ignorance...

Originally posted by Extralien

Originally posted by Suspiria

I'll try to nip past the shop this week see if she's taken it down,

Tell you what, here's an idea..

Pop into the shop... if her hard work is still up on display.. great...
Tell her that there are people out there, like myself, who support what she's doing/done.. show her this thread if you have to...

Wether it is up or down, tell her to make another bigger one..
But this time, one that says...

ATS deny ignorance...

HAHAHA That would be awesome.
It's worth a try.