Traditional Tattoos on the Red Carpet: Continuing the Conversation of Collective Ownership

Intellectual Property Protections of Olympic Proportions: A Look at Tokyo 2020

Getting’ GIFfy with it? The Olympic Ban on GIFs, a Copyright Issue

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new rules ban viewers of the 2016 Rio Olympics from creating and sharing Graphic Interchange Format graphics (GIFs). The short videos, typically used as sources of comedic relief, are common on social media outlets like Tumblr and Twitter. Popular GIFs include one of U.S. Gymnast Laurie Hernandez being cheeky by […]

Pole Vault in Rio 2016: A Contest of Skill or a Contest of Patents?

With the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics getting started on August 5th, there is no time like the present to explore the evolution of patents relating to the vaulting pole. Originally, pole vaulting was a practical way to cross obstacles, such as rivers or enemy walls. Inevitably, this led to competitions among Ancient Greeks, Cretans and Celts. […]

The Curious Case of Fake Beijing Olympics Merchandise

This chapter closely scrutinizes the intellectual property developments during the Beijing Olympics to determine whether this important world event has provided the much-needed example to show that China could effectively address the counterfeiting problem when national interests are at stake.

Ambush! Lululemon Scores on VANOC

Stuart Freen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Vancouver-based yoga sportswear company Lululemon introduced a new line of national-flag themed clothing late last month, just in time for the 2010 Olympics. The new line of sweatshirts, tuques, and t-shirts features the colours of Canada, the United States, Germany and Sweden and is cheekily […]