With the Olympics taking place in August 2012, many Welsh businesses will be looking for ways to generate business from the event. But beware; this could result in serious financial penalties. Nick Thomas, expert in this area of the law at JCP Solicitors, explains more:

There are regulations surrounding the use of certain key phrases relating to the London Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. These Regulations aim to control the use of certain key phrases and logos relating to the Games, reserving the use for those companies that have been awarded official sponsor status.

Despite the Olympics being primarily based in London, other venues across the country will be involved in hosting events, with the very first Olympic event taking place in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on the 25th July.

As well as temporary restrictions to advertising and trading in open public places within a few hundred meters around competition venues, use of official names, phrases, trade marks, logos and designs relating to the Games are protected by law.

These include, but are not limited to; use of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Emblems; the phrase ‘London 2012’; words such as ‘Olympic’, ‘Olympiad’, ‘Olympian’ and their plurals; the logos for Team GB and the British Olympic Association. Associations should not be made in audio or visual form. There are also a number of “Listed Expressions” that must be avoided. These include combined expressions such as ‘Games’, ‘Two Thousand and Twelve’ and ‘Twenty Twelve’ or these words combined with words such as ‘medals’, ‘sponsors’, ‘summer’ and ‘gold’.

With the fine for a breach of the Regulations being as much as £20,000, if you do intend to use slogans or logos in your marketing campaigns over the coming months then you need to be sure that you are not in breach. There are opportunities for businesses, but be careful, because the authorities and those with official sponsor status for the Olympics will be taking any breaches of the Regulations rather seriously!

Further information on the Regulations can be found at www.london2012.com

For more information on Intellectual Property or Business Law in general, please contact our expert, Nick Thomas on 01792 529 667, email nick.thomas@jcpsolicitors.co.uk or visit www.jcpsolicitors.co.uk