LONDON–The International Olympic Committee announced its plans yesterday to change the name of the historic site of the gods, previously known as Mount Olympus, to Mount Samsung in honor of the upcoming Olympic Games.
Other famous names that have come under scrutiny are Nike (the Winged Victory statue will now be called Adidas) and God (who can now only be referred to as The Alpha because of Omega watches).
According to the Olympic governing body, the decision was made in the interests of protecting everyone’s interests: the games, their partners, and of course, the fans.
They also agreed that Samsung, being an official sponsor of the 2012 Olympiad, deserved a reward that would parallel its prodigious generosity and support.
“We felt that this decision reflects the overall values and principles we are trying to uphold,” said IOC president Jacques Rogge. “And besides, we can’t have a competitor like Olympus infringe on the rights of our good friends Samsung and Panasonic, can we? It’s ludicrous!”
The international committee also leaked the possibility of a Sponsor Theme Park near the base of the new mountain to serve as a constant reminder of the Olympics’ fun, and legally binding, partnership with the corporate world.
Sometimes the best jokes come from reality.
You just couldn’t make it up!
No Bee, you’re right. They are EXTREMELY litigious about their brand. This “spoof” is not far at all from truth, which is why I loved it so much and ran it.
This isn’t far off how crazy the London Olympics have been about copyright and such, the following story is an actual true story…
81-year-old lady was banned from selling second-hand dolls in charity shops which she’d knitted some Olympic themed clothing for.
This is not satire, I repeat not satire.
If a take-down notice was issued, it must be valid, right? I mean, we’ve had our whole site taken offline before due to copyright complaints from the likes of Playboy (they didn’t like the article we wrote about their whore) and Van Morrison (he doesn’t get jokes.)
So yeah, sounds about right.
And the IOC is particularly sticky with their brand. Mountains be damned.