Thursday, July 19, 2012

No Olympics Here- Ravelry and the USOC




I'm sorry to say that this post is long overdue, but I've been a bit distracted lately with the SYTYC competition.

I was as excited as anyone about the upcoming olympics. In fact I had a whole bunch of craft projects and edible treats dedicated to the games. But I've decided that I'm not posting any of them.

A lot of you probably heard about what happened about a month ago between Ravelry and the US Olympic Committee (USOC). The USOC's poorly worded (at best) cease-and-desist letter regarding the knitting event on Ravelry (the Ravelympics) and the sale of olympic themed patterns on the site, made headlines all over the world.

Not only am I a member of Ravelry and a dedicated fiber artist, but I also have a background working in intellectual property (IP). I'm interested in any situation where IP and crafting intersect, but because I love to work with fiber I followed this with great than usual interest.

Before I get into that though, let me just say that this is not going to be a total bashing of the USOC and their C&D letter. The letter was no doubt very insulting and obviously left a bad taste in my mouth but the fact that they sent a C&D letter in and of itself doesn't really bother me.

And I'll tell you why...

First: The USOC has the trademark rights to the olympic rings logo and the "olympics" name as it relates to their brand. It's their legal obligation to defend that trademark against anyone who may be infringing on it. And I know the argument a lot of crafter's have... I'm only a small crafter selling a pattern I made to celebrate the games. It's not like I'm going to effect them or take any business away from them they are huge!



Unfortunately once you start to sell something commercially it doesn't matter how big or small you are- if you are infringing on a trademark the owners of the trademark are legally obligated to protect it or they risk loosing it. You're right, you're not effecting their bottom line but if they let someone small continue to use a trademarked item illegally then someone big can come along (who will effect their bottom line) and make an argument that they can use it too.

Second: If you are selling something commercially, it's your responsibility to understand the laws regarding  trademarks and copyrights. It doesn't matter how big or small your business is, for your own legal protection you should understand the basics.

But here's where this whole situation goes off the rails for me: The insulting tone of the C&D letter. The USOC later issued a statement/appology saying that it was standard boilerplate copy. Well.... not so accurate in my opinion. It's true- they had to reference the specific acts they felt were infringing on them and explain how it was negatively impacting their trademark. But in my opinion they definitely did not have to do so in such a belittling and insulting way. To me, that stepped way over the line. And for that I have lost all respect for the USOC and will not be giving my support to them in any way. Which includes watching the games, supporting advertisers, and posting projects here.

None of the the projects I had planned were for commercial use or going to infringe on their trademark rights in anyway, so I'm not shying away because of those reasons. I simply can't give my support to an organization that so horribly and completely disregards another group's passions while declaring their's so superiror. I know those athletes work hard and dedicate their lives to their sport but the elite among fiber artists dedicate their lives to perfecting their craft. And it's not the USOC's place to pass judgement about which of these pursuits is more worthy.


If you want more information about intellectual property and crafting issues, you check out my previous post on this topic- here.

17 comments:

  1. 카지노사이트 Great information, thanks for sharing with us… check out my service…

    ReplyDelete
  2. 온라인카지노 Great work! This is the type of information that are supposed to be shared around the net. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post upper! Come on over and discuss with my web site . Thanks =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. 토토사이트 I just want to say I’m very new to weblog and seriously loved your web page. More than likely I’m likely to bookmark your blog post . You actually have outstanding stories. Thanks for sharing with us your webpage.


    ReplyDelete
  4. This particular papers fabulous, and My spouse and i enjoy each of the perform that you have placed into this. I’m sure that you will be making a really useful place. I has been additionally pleased. Good perform! 먹튀폴리스

    ReplyDelete
  5. Awesome blog!! Thank for providing excellent information. Actually quite helpful data accessible here Feel free to visit my website; 안전놀이터

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was very pleased to discover this website. I wanted to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely liked every part of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to see new stuff on your website. Feel free to visit my website; 온라인카지노

    ReplyDelete
  7. I stumble on this site when I was making research on my project topic. I found some useful topics in well detail form. Thanks for this excellent post. Feel free to visit my website; 토토

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info. https://voyance-telephone-gaia.com/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Really nice and interesting post. I was looking for this kind of information and enjoyed reading this one. 야한동영상

    Please visit once. I leave my blog address below
    야설
    야한동영상

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra information? It is extremely helpful for me. 일본야동

    Please visit once. I leave my blog address below
    한국야동
    일본야동

    ReplyDelete
  11. Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that. I will learn a lot of new stuff right here! 한국야동닷컴

    Please visit once. I leave my blog address below
    국산야동
    한국야동닷컴

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great article with excellent idea! Thank you for such a valuable article. I really appreciate for this great information. 국산야동

    Please visit once. I leave my blog address below
    야설
    국산야동

    ReplyDelete
  13. I like this post, And I figure that they having a great time to peruse this post, they might take a decent site to make an information, thanks for sharing it to 중국야동넷

    Please visit once. I leave my blog address below
    야설
    중국야동넷

    ReplyDelete
  14. Could there be any justification for dragging sports into the politics of countries? I don't think any justification for that can be accepted. That is why various countries' boycott of the China Winter Olympics is an abuse of sports. Dissertation Editing Services

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great Blog
    Avail of the best Research paper help in Ireland from Ireland Assignment Helper. Our team of expert writers provides top-notch quality and plagiarism-free research paper assistance. We provide error-free and well-structured research papers that adhere to the university guidelines. Get timely delivery, 24x7 customer support, reasonable prices, and unlimited revisions with our research paper help Ireland.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Are you a college student in Malta looking for assignment writing help? Look no further! We offer assignment writing assistance to students of all levels in Malta. With our experienced team of writers, we can help you with any writing needs, from essay writing to research papers and more. Get quality assignment writing help Malta today and improve your grades!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...