Li Hao
THE Universiade Alliance yesterday issued a written proposal to prevent unauthorized marketing during the Games.
Established at the end of 2009, the alliance comprises more than 50 Universiade sponsors and cooperative media.
The Games sponsors were encouraged to learn the regulations governing the protection of Universiade intellectual property rights (IPR) and the use of the Games symbols to protect the official sponsors legal rights to use Universiade elements in commercial promotion.
Some Universiade IPR infringements had already been discovered, according to the Games organizing committee.
An unauthorized Universiade Web site, www.5uu.us, was found posting commercial information Jan. 26. The illegal Web site was closed Jan. 28.
In the written proposal, the alliance calls on members to step up checks for the unauthorized commercial use of Universiade elements, such as slogans and symbols.
Chen Feng, vice director of marketing development at the Beijing Olympics organizing body, shared his experience from the Olympics in protecting sponsors legal rights.
During the Olympics, all building contractors were forbidden to use the Games in their commercial promotion because only the sponsors were allowed. In addition, only Games sponsors were allowed to use Games tickets as an advertising medium, Chen said.
Athletes and coaches were also prohibited from appearing in advertisements during the Games.
There were intentional and unintentional infringements of IPR, which had been labeled invisible market behavior, Chen said.
It required joint efforts by legal sponsors and government departments to counter this invisible market behavior.
For example, the urban management bureau of the Beijing government only allowed sponsors to advertise on billboards close to the sports venues, Chen said.
In another development, China Telecom would provide free wireless Internet service at all Universiade sports venues and the athletes village, according to Liu Jun, a technology consultant for China Telecom.
Journalists would be able to send pictures through high-speed wireless Internet.
