With headlines reporting the Opening Ceremony?s lackluster ratings, perhaps the 2016 Summer Olympic Games could benefit from more ?buzz.?
Unfortunately, due to the International Olympic Committee?s Orwellian list of terms that only official Olympic sponsors can use, the United States Olympic Committee might be reducing the very social media conversations that would drive ratings.
Based on the social media restrictions, if non-sponsors use terms like ?Road to Rio,? ?Team USA? and ?Go for the gold? in tweets or other social media conversations, the USOC will send them a cease-and-desist letter. If brands ignore the letter, then the organization says it will take legal action.
This rule not only violates the spirit of the Olympics, it?s self-defeating. By restricting terminology, the USOC will reduce the volume of conversation about the Games, something it could really use. Meanwhile, many brands will likely skirt the letter of the law by avoiding the list of terms but getting their messages across anyway, making the USOC look out of touch and overly restrictive. The organization can reverse this by trimming its list. Protecting intellectual property in the social media age
The USOC?s impulse to protect trademarked terms is correct in some respects. It wouldn?t be right if Geico, for instance, could use Prudential?s ?Get a piece of the rock? tagline. Likewise, if a brand like Coca-Cola spends millions of dollars for an Olympics sponsorship, the brand should have rights tha...