Is this name safe to use? Olympic

[ivey]

OLYMPIQS
(.com)

I see other variations used freely...

Thnx

 

[JayT]

I heard Olympics tm/domain was one of most defended ones.

 

[hawkeye]

OLYMPIQS
(.com)
Is this name safe to use?

One way to find out...use it. (..at your own peril)

 

[DNWon]

It doesn't look like their is a US trademark on Olympiq/s and there is a high IQ society using the singular of this spelling, so I think you would be ok as long as you stay away from sports or IQ related content. An Intellectual Property attorney could tell you for sure, if you were so inclined.

 

[Name Trader]

Nothing wrong with Olympiqs Hardware Store, just not use it for sports or IQ, or use copies of their logos.

You ask if it's safe? We live in a litigious environment. Can anything be regarded as 100% safe. Usually, it's the one with the deepest pockets, which win.

 

[jberryhill]

Nothing wrong with Olympiqs Hardware Store

Olympic names and logos are a special case, which go well beyond trademark protection. They don't just have their own trademarks, they have their own LAW establishing the USOC (in the US, other nations have similar laws) and...

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/220506

(a)Exclusive Right of Corporation.—Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the corporation has the exclusive right to use—
(1)
the name “United States Olympic Committee”;
(2)
the symbol of the International Olympic Committee, consisting of 5 interlocking rings, the symbol of the International Paralympic Committee, consisting of 3 TaiGeuks, or the symbol of the Pan-American Sports Organization, consisting of a torch surrounded by concentric rings;
(3)
the emblem of the corporation, consisting of an escutcheon having a blue chief and vertically extending red and white bars on the base with 5 interlocking rings displayed on the chief; and
(4) the words “Olympic”, “Olympiad”, “Citius Altius Fortius”, “Paralympic”, “Paralympiad”, “Pan-American”, “America Espirito Sport Fraternite”, or any combination of those words

---------

Now, you might notice the exception for "subsection (d)". Basically what subsection (d) does is to carve out an exception for the Olympic Paint and Stain company, which had been around for a long time, and for businesses in the vicinity of Olympia, Washington:

(d)Pre-Existing and Geographic Reference Rights.—
(1)
A person who actually used the emblem described in subsection (a)(3) of this section, or the words or any combination of the words described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, for any lawful purpose before September 21, 1950, is not prohibited by this section from continuing the lawful use for the same purpose and for the same goods or services.
(2)
A person who actually used, or whose assignor actually used, the words or any combination of the words described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, or a trademark, trade name, sign, symbol, or insignia described in subsection (c)(4) of this section, for any lawful purpose before September 21, 1950, is not prohibited by this section from continuing the lawful use for the same purpose and for the same goods or services.
(3) Use of the word “Olympic” to identify a business or goods or services is permitted by this section where—
(A)
such use is not combined with any of the intellectual properties referenced in subsection (a) or (c) of this section;
(B)
it is evident from the circumstances that such use of the word “Olympic” refers to the naturally occurring mountains or geographical region of the same name that were named prior to February 6, 1998, and not to the corporation or any Olympic activity; and
(C)
such business, goods, or services are operated, sold, and marketed in the State of Washington west of the Cascade Mountain range and operations, sales, and marketing outside of this area are not substantial.

--------

So, no, unless your Olympiq Hardware store is located near Olympia, Washington, it's not going to fly.

This comes as a surprise to many pizza/gyro shops whose owners have come from Greece, when the USOC goes after them. Here's a recent example:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...phia-gyro-restaraunt-to-change-its-name.shtml

US Olympic Committee Forces 30 Year Old Philadelphia Gyro Restaurant To Change Its Name

 

[biggie]

i memba once i registered a name that had something to do with olympics

they sent me a "whole booklet" via certified snail mail, of what you couldn't do.


imo...