Canada protects the olympic marks in expectation of the 2010 winter games in Vancouver

C
ANADAPROTECTSTHEOLYMPICMARKSINEXPECTATIONOFTHE2010
WINTERGAMESINVANCOUVER

CATHERINEBERGERON*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
L.L.P.
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS

“ThemostimportantthingintheOlympic
Gamesisnotwinningbuttakingpart;the
essentialthinginlifeisnotconquering
butfightingwell.”
PierredeCoubertin
1.Introduction
Whatdoeseverybodyonearththinkofwhenseeingalogocomposedoffiveinterlaced
ringswhichare,fromlefttoright,blue,yellow,black,greenandred?TheOlympicrings,
ofcourse.AlthoughitmightnotbeaknownfacttoeverybodythatthisOlympicsymbol
representstheunionofthefivecontinentsandthemeetingofathletesfromthroughout
theworldattheOlympicGames,itisuncontestedthatthisOlympicsymbolisamongthe
mostwidelyrecognisedsymbolsintheworldandishighlyprotectedbyitsowner,the
InternationalOlympicCommittee.
InthemoderncontextofglobalizationwheretheOlympicGamesaregivenahuge
mediacoverageandextensivecommercialpower,theprotectionoftheOlympicmarks
hasbecomemoreandmoreimportant.
Inthisperspective,theNairobiTreatyontheProtectionoftheOlympicSymbolwas
adoptedonSeptember26,1981.Tothisday,fortysixcountriesarecontractingparties
oftheNairobiTreaty,althoughmanyothershavenotsignedit(includingCanada,the
UnitedStates,FranceandGermany)andchosetoenacttheirownlawstoprotectthe
Olympicsymbol.Inanutshell,theNairobiTreatyobligesthecontractingpartiesto
protecttheOlympicsymbol,namelythefiveinterlacedrings,againstuseforcommercial
purposeswithouttheauthorizationoftheInternationalOlympicCommittee.

©CIPS,2008.*LawyerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,L.L.P.,amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrade-
markagents.Publishedin[2008]IntellectualProperty.Publication173.019.

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2.TheCanadianApproach
InexpectationoftheWinterGamestobeheldinVancouverin2010,Canadawishedto
provideaspecialprotectiontocertainterms,expressionsandsymbolsrelatingtothe
OlympicGamesbyadoptingtheOlympicandParalympicMarksAct
1,andits
correspondingRegulations2,whichcameintoforceonDecember17,2007.Theambitof
protectionoftheActishoweverlimitedtoanexhaustivelistofOlympicandParalympic
marks
3providedintheAct.

TheActessentiallyhastwopurposes:itcreatesalistofprohibitedmarksanditprovides
protectionagainstfalseandunauthorizedcommercialassociationswiththeOlympic
Games,alsocalled“ambushmarketing”.
2.1Prohibitedmarks
TheActprohibitstheadoptionanduse,inacommercialcontext,ofanOlympicmarkor
amarkthatsonearlyresemblesanOlympicmarkastobelikelytobemistakenforit.
4
Consideringthatthewordingofsection3oftheActissomewhatsimilartothewording
ofsection9oftheTrade-marksAct
5pertainingtoofficialmarks,onecouldanticipate
thatCourtswillrelyonthetestofconfusionapplicabletoofficialmarkswhenassessing
whetheramark“sonearlyresemblesanOlympicmarkastobelikelytobemistakenfor
it”.Insuchacontext,therequestingpartycouldbevestedwithalighterburdenofproof
inthesensethatcriticalcircumstancesofsubsection6(5)oftheTrade-marksActmay
notbetakenintoconsideration,suchasthenatureoftheproductsandservices.
TheprohibitionisintegratedintheTrade-marksActbymodificationofitsparagraph
12(1)whichconsequentlyprovidesthatatrade-markisnotregistrableifitisamarkthe
adoptionofwhichisprohibitedbytheOlympicandParalympicMarksAct.
SomeexamplesoftheOlympicmarkscoveredbysection3oftheActincludethe
followingtermsorexpressions:“Olympia”,“OlympicGames”,“Faster,Higher,Stronger”,
“Canada2010”,“GamesCity”,andthefollowinglogos:

1R.S.C.2007,c.25(hereinafteralsoreferredtoasthe«Act»)2SOR/2007-2943TheOlympicandParalympicmarksaresetoutinSchedules1and2oftheAct;hereinaftercollectively
referredtoasthe“Olympicmarks”.
4Section3oftheAct.5R.S.C.1985,c.T-13.

3

Forinstance,arestaurantownermaynot,inthecourseofitsbusiness,advertiseits
servicesinassociationwithexpressionssuchas“Comeandjoinustocelebratethe
OlympicGames”orsimply“Canada2010”.Thepotentialeffectsofsuchaprohibition
mightseemdraconianbut,onthesameoccasion,itservesasaneffectivelimitationto
thepersonsandentitiesattemptingtoundulybenefitfromacommercialassociationwith
theOlympicGameswithoutpayinganyfinancialsupport.
However,theActprovidesforanexhaustivelistofpersonsorentitiestowhomsucha
prohibitiondoesnotapply,includingpersonshavingobtainedthewrittenconsentofan
organizingcommittee(namelytheVancouverOrganizingCommitteeforthe2010
OlympicandParalympicWinterGames(alsoreferredtoastheVANOC)),public
authoritieshavingrequestedthattheRegistraroftrade-marksgivepublicnoticeofa
markunderparagraph9(1)(n)oftheTrade-marksAct(providedthatthenoticeisgiven
priortoMarch2,2007),andindividualswhohavebeenselectedtocompete,orhave
competed,inanOlympicorParalympicGames(forcertainprotectedexpressionsandin
referencetotheindividuals’participationin,orselectionfor,thoseGamesonly).
ItisalsoworthmentioningthattheActmakesanincursionintocopyrightlawbyallowing
useofanOlympicmarkinthepublicationorbroadcastingofanewsreportrelatingto
OlympicGamesorforthepurposesofcriticismorparodyrelatingtoOlympicGames.
6It
isinterestingtonotethattheCopyrightActcomprisestheexceptionoffairdealingfor
criticismorreviewpurposes,butsuchanexceptiondoesnotspecificallycoverparody.
TheActalsoprovidesthattheinclusionofanOlympicmarkinanartisticworkisnotin
itselfauseinconnectionwithabusinessiftheworkisnotreproducedonacommercial
scale.
7
2.2Protectionagainstambushmarketing

6Paragraph3(5)oftheAct.7Paragraph3(6)oftheAct.

4
TheActalsoprovidesthatnopersonshall,inassociationwithatrade-markorother
mark,promoteorotherwisedirectpublicattentiontotheirbusiness,waresorservicesin
amannerthatmisleadsorislikelytomisleadthepublicintobelievingthattheperson’s
business,waresorservicesareapproved,authorizedorendorsedbytheVANOC,the
CanadianOlympicCommitteeortheCanadianParalympicCommittee,orthatthere
existssomesortofbusinessassociationbetweenthem.
8Again,therationalebehind
theseprohibitedactsistoassureacertainexclusivitytosponsorswhospendimportant
amountsofmoneytobeassociatedwiththeOlympicGames.AccordingtotheVANOC:
AmbushmarketingisarealthreattoVANOC’ssponsorshipand
licensingprogramsasitunderminesthevalueofofficialsponsorshipand
licensingrightsandimpairsVANOC’sabilitytoattractfuturesponsorship
andlicensees.Italsothreatensthefinancialviabilityoffuture
Olympic/ParalympicGamesbyimpairingtheabilityof2010Winter
Games’organizerstoraisenecessarysponsorshipandlicensing
funding.VANOCmustprotecttheOlympicBrandagainstunauthorized
useandambushmarketingaspartofitseffortstostageawell-organized
andfinanciallysuccessful2010WinterGames.
9
Inordertodeterminewhetherthereisafalsecommercialassociation,Courtswillhave
toevaluate,amongstothers,towhatextenttheallegedoffendingpartyhasuseda
combinationofexpressionslistedinSchedule3oftheAct,suchas“Games”,“2010”,
“Medals”,“Winter”,“Gold”and“Vancouver”.Forinstance,anunauthorisedcontest
relatingtothe2010WinterGamesinVancouvermightwellbeconsideredasambush
marketingcontrarytotheAct.
2.3OtherkeyprovisionsoftheAct
ItisinterestingtonotethattheActprovidesalightenedburdenofproofforanyplaintiff,
namelytheVANOC(ortheCanadianOlympicCommitteeortheCanadianParalympic
CommitteewiththeVANOC’swrittenconsentduringtheperiodprescribedbyregulation
endingonDecember31,2010)seekinganinterlocutoryorinteriminjunctionagainstany
partyallegedlyincontraventionoftheaboveprohibitions(sections3and4oftheAct),
asitwillnothavetoshowirreparableharm,i.e.acriteriaoftendifficulttomeetin
interlocutoryinjunctionmatters.
CertainprovisionsoftheActareonlyapplicableduringtheperiodprescribedby
regulation,suchperiodendingonDecember31,2010,afewmonthsaftertheclosingof
theVancouverWinterGames.Thus,allthemarksandexpressionscontainedin
Schedules2and3oftheActwillberepealedonthatdate.Inthesamemanner,the
applicationofsection4oftheActpertainingtoambushmarketingisalsolimitedtothe
sameprescribedperiod.SuchaprescriptiongivesanevolutionalcharactertotheAct;
8Section4oftheAct.9AvailableonVANOC’sofficialwebsitewww.vancouver2010.com

5
oncetheregulatoryperiodisexpired,theprovisionsandschedulescoveredbysaid
prescriptionwillberepealedbutcouldbereactivatedormodifiedforotherOlympic
Gamesinthefuture.
3.Conclusion
TheOlympicandParalympicMarksActsomewhatreflectstheOlympicGames’moto
«Faster,Higher,Stronger»whichrepresentsthebasicprinciplesoftheOlympicspirit.
Indeed,throughtheAct,theOlympicmarkswillbenefitfromadditionalprotectionand
theVANOCwillhaveprofitableandeffectivemeanstocurenonauthorizeduseof
Olympicmarksandreprimandbusinessesconductingunfairpracticeswithaviewto
unjustlybenefitingfromsomesortofcommercialassociationwiththe2010Olympic
Gameswithoutpayingtheprice.

6
ROBIC,ungroupedavocatsetdagentsdebrevetsetdemarquesdecommercevouédepuis1892à
laprotectionetàlavalorisationdelapropriétéintellectuelledanstouslesdomaines:brevets,dessins
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andlabelling;prosecutionlitigationandarbitration;duediligence;inCanadaandthroughouttheworld.
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