IOC Trademarks Part of Canadian National Anthem 412
gravis777 sends us to BoingBoing for news that the International Olympic Committee has trademarked a line from the Canadian National Anthem and is threatening to sue anyone who uses it. The line in question is "with glowing hearts." "The committee is so serious about protecting the Olympic brand it managed to get a landmark piece of legislation passed in the House of Commons last year that made using certain phrases related to the Games a violation of law. The list includes the number 2010 and the word 'winter,' phrases that normally couldn't be trademarked because they are so general."
What I have to say... (Score:5, Insightful)
... is that this Canadian and a lot of people that I know will, with glowing hearts, ignore this piece of nonsense on the basis of prior art.
p.s. With the Conservatives in power when this was done, and the fact that they are more than likely to get back in, does anyone think that this will change?
Hey IOC... (Score:3, Insightful)
Hosers!
Prior art. (Score:5, Insightful)
The estate of Sir Arthur Clarke and MGM might have a thing or two to say about attempting to claim 2010 [imdb.com].
Olympics about openness and freedom... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:That's ok (Score:3, Insightful)
Time to bury our heads... (Score:5, Insightful)
I really think it's time to just bury our heads in the sand. This world has become fucking crazy. What happened to common sense? What happened to old-fashioned business? Why can't we trust a smile and a handshake anymore?
I know this sounds a little pie-in-the-sky, but it's how I feel. I run a business. I'm honest. I make enough money for me, my business partner, and our employees. As honestly as I can. Sure, cheap, slimy people sometimes snake a customer away, but the ones to come to us are loyal. Almost crazy loyal. This world is truly getting sad.
Re:That's ok (Score:5, Insightful)
Hey, the article was tagged "YOUR rights online," talking to ME. I'm not canadian, it's not affecting MY rights. WHAT'S THE DEAL!?!?
Here, try this as an expermient then. Grab a domain, WINTERGLOWINGHEARTS.COM will do and start selling snowglobes with the words Vancouver - Winter 2010 on them.
If no one hassles you then, yes, you're right; it has nothing to do with you. Please return to your regularly scheduled programming.
Re:That's ok (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:What I have to say... (Score:5, Insightful)
While I don't agree with this TM being granted, I don't really think it limits anyone. Sure Bell can't use the Canadian anthem in a special olympic cell phone deal for the upcoming olympics, but it won't (or shouldn't) affect canadian citizens in general. It does prevent people who attempt to jump on the olympic money wagon for free without paying the IOC fee and possibly goes overboard to affect innocent advertisers that are overly patriotic (pretty rare in Canada compared to the US).
It overly favours the IOC, but the gov't has a lot to gain from that.
Re:Is the IOC really so powerful.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes. Money. Yes. Irrelevant. Apathy.
Olympics = Stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
The Olympics are for sell outs and commercialization. It baffles me why people still put such high value on this parade of stupidity. I almost feel sorry for the athletes that participate.
It's become such a joke.
Re:Typical (Score:3, Insightful)
I smell a new meme with glowing hearts!
Dealing with the IOC (Score:5, Insightful)
The most appropriate response to the IOC's increasing reach and commercialism is to make an effort to tune out the Olympics (TM). There are a great many amateur meets that happen throughout the world on a regular basis, and they're always in need of volunteers and spectators. If you can't do without a regular fix of Olympic (TM) patriotism, steer clear of the Olympic-branded (TM) merchandise and take a few minutes out of your life to let major sponsors of The Games( TM) know that you're avoiding their products because of the way the IOC has corrupted amateur sport (TM).
This is one instance where money really talks. A sharp downturn in funding and public opinion would work wonders.
I'm Canadian, so I'm going to take 10 minutes following the upcoming federal election to write a letter to my member of parliament complaining about the IOC's misappropriation of lines from our national anthem. The work is in the public domain, and it is quite obvious that the organizers of the Vancouver games are attempting to exploit its patriotic meaning for inappropriate commercial gain.
Re:Mod parent troll (Score:1, Insightful)
Speak for yourself. Most of us have real accomplishments to be proud of, rather than some vague nationalistic nonsense over which we have no real control. And as anyone with friends and family on both sides of the border will tell you, you're not that different from Americans, anyway.
The comment wasn't funny, but that's because it was unoriginal, not because it was insulting.
Myself... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:That's ok (Score:5, Insightful)
One nation indivisible. One nation, under god, indivisible.
Yeah. About that.
Re:Is the IOC really so powerful.. (Score:5, Insightful)
that they are able to subvert the host country's laws so effectively? I know that they have muscled around 'smaller' countries, but I would think that Canada wouldn't be so easily swayed.
What am I missing that makes the IOC so powerful? Is it simply the 'investment opportunity' and business that the Olympics bring? Is national pride so easily wounded that we have to kowtow to their every whim? Its no secret that the IOC is incredibly corrupt and profit driven... how come modern democratic states aren't telling them to fuck off and clean up their act? Instead the US, Britain, Canada, etc. seem to be bowing and scraping to meet their every demand.
They've been getting special laws passed in the UK too.
Remember this isn't just one group of people with a lot of money. It's one group of people with a lot of money who will also make a lot of money for a lot of other people - for instance, when Coke sponsors the games, you won't be able to buy Pepsi in the olympic village. Money talks, and when there's a lot of money it not only talks, it gets up in Parliament, makes speeches and proposes laws.
Re:Public domain (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:That's ok (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, it's not so much that the people at the CBC are dumb, as they are on a budget and the people who own the rights to the Hockey Night in Canada theme song think they deserve a lot more money than the CBC is prepared to pay for a renewal of the license for the song.
The people who used to be in charge of the CBC may or may not be dumb for not having bought perpetual rights to the song.
Of course, if we had sane copyright laws, that wouldn't be an issue, because the song is old enough that the copyright should have expired by now.