On September 1, the Beijing Olympic Games marketing operation
will be launched formally. Now, many enterprises, home and abroad,
are busy contacting?the Beijing Organizing Committee for the
Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) in an effort to participate in
the huge market.
By August 26, more than 600 Chinese enterprises had been
automatically disqualified from cooperating with the Beijing
Organizing Committee for their infringement upon the intellectual
property rights of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),
according to Li Yanjun, vice director of the law section of
BOCOG.
The so-called blacklist system is jointly agreed by both the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), though not in
words.
Any enterprise which is found participating in the violation of
the intellectual property rights of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) and its official emblem, will automatically lose
the opportunity to cooperate with the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games
of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).
According to Li, BOCOG, from its founding to August 26, 2003,
had sent more than 500 notices to Chinese authorities in charge of
industry and commerce together with 90 notices to General
Administration of Customs for their help in the investigation of
infringement cases. That is, some 600 enterprises under
investigation so far will never be allowed to participate in the
marketing of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The recent behavior that harmed the Olympic emblem and violates
its intellectual property rights includes the following: open and
illegal use of the Olympic emblem; using the name of “designated
products of Beijing Olympic Games”, collecting money in the name of
the BOCOG; advertising by copying images similar to the Olympic
emblem; and engaging in sales activities, hinting at the Olympics,
which are opposed strongly by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC).
Yet, in order to avoid misunderstanding, Li also made it clear
that it is totally different between the illegal usage of the
Olympic emblem and participation in Olympic marketing.
Those who want to join Olympic business can find their routes
through the following ways: take part in the marketing of BOCOG;
invest in the construction of Olympic facilities and related
equipment; dig out those hidden business opportunities in the
sectors of culture, technology, education, physical culture and
travel, and make full use of them, added Li Yanjun.
(China.org.cn by Zheng Guihong August 29, 2003)