Posted on 08/27/2004 1:58:15 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
YES! At last, a strong stand against those who would deny us the opportunity to speak the truth.
Hmm, maybe now would be a good time for me to patent the wheel or the fulcrum.
This has been hashed around on several threads and the arguments of those opposed to this ad have been thoroughly analyzed and refuted via inference and example.
I don't see where you were wrong. The citation clearly bans the use of the word for the promotion of "good or services"---neither is the case in the campaign ad.
As for the last citation, it seems to me to be barring the Olympic Committee itself from endorsing political campaigns.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (b) Political Activities. - The corporation shall be nonpolitical and may not promote the candidacy of an individual seeking public office. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMHO, this all has to do with copyright protection, not politics. If Clinton or Gore tried to pull this, the USOC would have been duty-bound to go after them too.
No, copyright doesn't apply in this case. You cannot copyright a single word. That is rightly the province of trademark laws.
I read the law and it seems to restrict only commercial use of the word "Olympic". The ad did not even use it as an endorsement (the Olympics support Bush, or the Olympic teams of Iraq and Afghanistan support Bush) but merely to describe the current number of free nations at the Olympic games.
The clause you cite restricts the Olympic Corporation from issuing political endorsements, not politicians from using the word "Olympic".
The whole purpose of the law seems to be to restrict COMMERCIAL use of the word Olympic, so the Olympic corporation may receive its due licensing fees.
(3) the words described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, or any combination or simulation of those words tending to cause confusion or mistake, to deceive, or to falsely suggest a connection with the corporation or any Olympic, Paralympic, or Pan-American Games activity; or
Even if 'Olympics' is being misused, the USOC has no legal recourse, because the word is not being used "for the purpose of trade, to induce the sale of any goods or services, or to promote any theatrical exhibition, athletic performance, or competition," unless the USOC can somehow demonstrate that a political campaign is a sale of a service, which would imply that political office can be bought.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.