U.S. Olympic Committee Begins to Sue Companies on the Washington State Olympic Peninsula over Use of the Word “Olympic.”

Published on December 30th, 2007

Will the National Park Have to Change its Name Too?

U.S. Olympic Committee pops its cork over a certain peninsula’s vintner and the ‘O’ word — This is hilarious.

Charlton, a former Texas Instruments executive who bought Olympic Cellars in 1999, said she wanted to resolve this issue woman-to-woman, by dealing directly with Maser. Then, in October, she got a second letter.

“It was very restrictive,” Charlton said.

The letter stated that as of Dec. 31, “if somebody ordered wine [online] and was not a previous customer,” who’d been to the winery near Port Angeles, “I had to turn them away.” Olympic Cellars has no right to promote itself outside Western Washington, according to the USOC. Doing so could dilute the committee’s control of its trademarked word, and confuse people about which companies are official Olympic supporters, the committee said.

These Olympic creeps are officially out of control. This all stems from that shit-head Senator Ted Stevens:

The letter, written by USOC attorney Kelly Maser, cited the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1998, in which Congress gave the USOC exclusive commercial control of the word “Olympic.”

The federal law grants an exception to businesses on the Olympic Peninsula. They can use the O-word when marketing themselves – but only in Washington west of the Cascade mountains.

Does that mean the park cannot advertise? Seems so.

19 users responded in " U.S. Olympic Committee Begins to Sue Companies on the Washington State Olympic Peninsula over Use of the Word “Olympic.” "

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# 1 doug said, on December 30th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

one of the many instances that the government has enshrined pure douchebaggery into law.

# 2 bill said, on December 30th, 2007 at 12:47 pm

I am so angry!!!! I went to the Olympic Peninsula it was beautiful but there were NO GAMES!!!!

Question: why do we need a committee anyway? Or the Olympics?
What total BS!

# 3 gquaglia said, on December 30th, 2007 at 12:56 pm

Maybe these companies should counter sue for loss of income. Lawsuits seem to be all that these douche companies and organizations understand.

# 4 the Three-Headed Cat said, on December 30th, 2007 at 1:21 pm

Jesus Gawd Almighty. Is there NOTHING so brainless that some sociopathic fucktard with a law degree won’t try to do it?

Guess not.

…semi-relevantly, temperate, clean, gorgeous, isolated yet still accessible, the OP is one of the finest places in the Western Hemisphere, and one where a person naturally tends to take for granted that they have left the absurd, petit insanities of the rest of the world behind.

But apparently, as Chief Inspector Clouseau once said – “Nuht enny muhr!”

# 5 hhopper said, on December 30th, 2007 at 2:49 pm

He also said, “Duz yuhr dog biat?”

# 6 RTaylor said, on December 30th, 2007 at 3:06 pm

After 4 years in the courts and several million in legal fees he may win. That what happens when your law makers are members of the ABA.

# 7 the Three-Headed Cat said, on December 30th, 2007 at 4:05 pm

‘Iss not my dog.’

# 8 doug said, on December 30th, 2007 at 4:19 pm

#6. no this is what happens when your lawmakers are enslaved to the IP industry.

# 9 Angel H. Wong said, on December 30th, 2007 at 4:25 pm

The legacy of Antonio Samaranch…

# 10 Mister Catshit said, on December 30th, 2007 at 5:07 pm

I don’t think Congress has the authority to override a State jurisdiction, especially a pre-existing right. This could make for interesting arguments over State Rights v Federal Rights. If I were a State of Washington politician, I might put forward a law that negates this Federal law inside the State of Washington. Since amateur sports has nothing to do with inter-state commerce, the Federal government has no enforcement.

Of course, the National Olympic Committee could find better ways to spend their money then on court fights and lawyer fees.

# 11 MikeN said, on December 30th, 2007 at 7:22 pm

We should ban all US bids for the Olympics until they back down, and then hope they never back down. Denver had it right when they rejected the Olympics that they were awarded.

# 12 gregallen said, on December 30th, 2007 at 8:16 pm

I just trademarked the vowels, a, e, i, o and u. Start paying up, everybody.

BTW, The Olympic national park is one of the lesser visited gems of the national park system. Highly recommended for back packing. They even have wilderness Pacific Ocean beach, which is rare in the US.

# 13 Stars & Bars said, on December 30th, 2007 at 8:53 pm

#10 Congress does not have the right, if you’ll read the Constitution, but do you think that will stop them. These BS lawsuits can put a small business person out of business.

FYI Hitler designed the familiar Olympic rings. Perhaps Homeland Security should arrest the members of the Olympic Committee for promoting terrorists activities.

# 14 PhoneBoy said, on December 30th, 2007 at 10:44 pm

Well I can’t say I’m surprised that a stupid law like this got passed. I’d like to know how “Olympic Wineries” could EVER, EVER be confused for the games with the 5 circles. It’s like the NFL having their ass clenched over the use of the name “Super Bowl.”

# 15 Mister Catshit said, on December 31st, 2007 at 1:00 am

#13, Confederate Traitor,

FYI Hitler designed the familiar Olympic rings.

A typical fascist myth. The ring emblem had been designed over 30 years earlier.

One year later, in 1913, the five rings appeared at the top of a letter written by
Pierre de Coubertin. He drew the rings and coloured them in by hand. He then described
this symbol in the Olympic Review of August 1913.
It was also Coubertin who had the idea for the Olympic flag. He presented the rings and
flag in June 1914 in Paris at the Olympic Congress.
http://tinyurl.com/18r
(Olympic Museum)

# 16 Glenn E. said, on December 31st, 2007 at 2:09 am

So the some called “Olympic” games, is nothing more than a commercial enterprise. That feels a little threatened by anything else that also has the name Olympic as its business name. That it might not get so stinking rich, if there’s some confusion about who is selling what. Lame!

Seems to me that all the companies and communities with “Olympic” as their name, should get a class action suit together. Sighting restraint of trade, and prior art. As most of them were around long before the Olympic games were restarted and trademarked. “…Amateur Sports Act”? What a joke. It’s a multi-billion dollar enterprise!

And since when does congress have the authority to override national trademarks, in favor of some international one? Maybe these senators should reread their oath of office. They’re swore to defend the US’s laws and people, NOT SOME FOREIGN CORPORATION! This is the sort of news item that should get huge exposure, rather than a bogus letter from Romney. Then voters will kick idiots like Ted Stevens out for good.
Start with all the committee members who approved this bill. Ted didn’t work alone.

# 17 SparkyOne said, on December 31st, 2007 at 5:08 am

We need the olympics to show off the world’s best dopers.

# 18 OlympicMountainSchool said, on January 12th, 2008 at 11:58 am

Some background on the USOC sniping at the Olympic Peninsula can be found on my website at http://www.olympicmountainschool.com/olympic.htm. The USOC threatened me, too, for my little book called Best of the Olympic Peninsula 2007: Vital Information to “Do the Loop” Around Washington State’s Finest Beaches, Rainforests, and Mountains.” Connection to Olympic Games did not even occur to me until I got a letter from lawyer Kelly Maser (then Ruby Haddock then Carol Gross) at the USOC last year. And, yes, the USOC has sent more than one letter claiming its “exclusive right to use and control” OLYMPIC to at least one office in Olympic National Park. Also see my list on the page cited above of almost 500 businesses in western Washington State with “Olympic” in their names–almost 200 of which have websites.
-Jason Bausher (Quinault, WA)

# 19 Luke said, on January 31st, 2008 at 10:15 pm

They also own the word “Greece.”

And “Greek,” and any other forms of the word known or unknown, throughout perpetuity and the universe, forever and ever, amen.

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