A bakery arranged 5 bagels in their shop front recently in Camberwell to celebrate the fact that the Olympic torch was passing by… they got a very clear, if somewhat rude, order to take the bagels down or they would be fined. Local shoppers who complained at the heavy-handed operation had their photos taken … full story here.
Lord Coe… in a somewhat confused statement said that people wearing Pepsi T-shirts wouldn’t be allowed into the Coke spons0red event. ….it turned out later that he was wrong, he was slightly confused…but then, who isn’t.
You are only, I believe, allowed to take 100ml (that’s a fifth of a pint) of liquid into the stadium. The evil sugar-soaked [more sugar in sports drinks than in Coke] “sports” drink sellers are sponsoring the event too.
The illegal use of the word Olympics is closely monitored too…. so watch out!
Well, all this is stuff that we have discussed before, from the take-down of the Dune role-play sim in SL, many years ago now… and the Star Wars saga, the infighting of breedable rabbits vs. horses, etc etc. Intellectual property rights just get more and more out-of-control, well, the enforcers do, anyway.
I understand, I am not wet behind the ears, I know money is all for those branding an event … but… there are surely some symbols that have passed beyond individual ownership into the collective subconscious as archetypes, the Olympic logo being one of those. Now, as the shop keeper said, none of us would have the financial clout to challenge that in a court of law, so, when they tell me to remove the image above…. (if they find it) … I will do so.
With the new laser guided sniffing machine, or, a little more precisely…new molecular scanners an event sponsored by a brand of pizza may be able to ban you if you just ate a hamburger…who knows how ridiculous it could get before people voice their disapproval by just staying at home and keeping their hard-earned cash.
I am actually quite excited by the Olympics and look forward to watching everything on TV. Tickets are a little more than I would want to spend on any event and the travel would be costly too, so, with front row seats, I’ll settle down with a gin and tonic to watch world-class sport.
…and… I’m surely not the only one to notice that as the population of the ‘civilized’ world gets less and less fit we wear sports shoes, drink sugar saturated sports drink and watch other people doing the exercise for us.
It’s immersive fitness.
:))
soror Nishi 
I’ve read more prohibitions, some of them absurd or impossible. For example, it’s prohibited to make pictures or recordings to share them in internet (I would like to know how they think they’ll avoid this). It’s forbidden to wear politic messages or symbols, like Che Guevara shirts. It’s forbidden to bring food or drinks, because that is for McDonalds and Coca-Cola.
So, I’ve decided I’ll not go there, that’s their loss. I’ll watch them on my sofa, wearing a Che Guevara shirt and a pair of unknown brand sneakers, as I drink Pepsi (and I’m not joking, I prefer Pepsi)
Excellent Samuel, I’m almost tempted to buy the T-shirt … nearly.
I’m sure sponsorship wasn’t this misused 10 years ago.
Hey ho… that’s what they call progress.
Olimpic Games, from other point of view:
London’s Militarised Olympic Games Conjures Up Orwell’s 1984
It would be intereting to know what Londoners think. Do they feel more or less safe with missiles on their roofs?