Olympic related domain names TRADEMARK issue

[Takwa]

I am from London, and recently registered two Olympic related domain names.
I then tried to park it with Sedo, then got told it was TRADEMARK, so i had to cancel them.

Anyway I check and found it on Nominet

http://www.nominet.org.uk/disputes/legalinfo/olympics/

and

http://www.london2012.com/about/our-brand/using-the-brand.php

They even tried to Trademark 2012, a number and a date, I wonder how will they able to do that?

Olympic is a tradition from thousand of years ago, it's like getting "Christmas" or "New Year" trademark, not going to work is it?

Also the London2010 logo is making me go blind!

 

[Hopper]

Olympic is a tradition from thousand of years ago, it's like getting "Christmas" or "New Year" trademark, not going to work is it?

I think you will find that the Olympics is very different to Christmas or New Year, the Olympics is actually a movement as opposed to a 'time event' such as Christmas and New Year.

Everyone has a Christmas (well everyone who is a Christian) and everyone has a New Year and there is no official New Year Committee etc.

Also each individual Games (ie London 2012) is run as a business with sponsorship sales and official merchandise etc obviously they need to protect this income stream and protect their brand identity - hence the Trademarks.

 

[evertonian7uk]

hopper is right mate, you regged the name because of the events, with a view to sell them on right? or make money from the name, this is squatting, i wouldnt park the sites, try to develop them into something related to the games, sort of like an infomation site, but dont put ads on there.

lets say you did just try to sell them, once there sold, you are still accountable if the new owner got "the email"

best to just release the names, or figure out if its actually worth fighting for.

 

[Takwa]

No actually I wasn't planning to sell them, one of them was OlymplicBlog and the other was OlympicForum. It was going to be my personal site, as I love the olympic.

 

[flamewalker]

Do NOT put ads, do NOT attempt to make money on them. Make fan sites, you MIGHT be ok... or the Olympics committee might get overly aggressive and try to take them anyways. NEVER park them, even at a place that will allow it.

There is quite a bit of risk, but as long as you make it clear that you aren't associated with the Olympics and don't try to make money from the mark, you MAY be ok.

Definitely don't try to sell them either. That would instantly be bad faith as far as UDRP goes.