The Olympic Games is not just a matter of sport. This was the loose conclusion reached by a panel of experts at the sixth YN Lawyers Reception on Thursday, 30 June. Over 170 young lawyers attended the fundraising and networking event at the City offices of Goldman Sachs, raising an incredible £24,000 for Norwood’s vital services supporting adults with learning disabilities and children and families in need.
The highlight of the evening was a panel discussion featuring guests Fiona Hammond, Chris Willingham and Arthur Somerset, whose high profile hands-on experience covers media, business and law. The panel, which was moderated by BBC Olympics correspondent Adrian Warner, discussed the legal minefield which surrounds the copyright issues surrounding the Olympic Games and its branding. During the discussion, the panel discussed the draconian measures in the Olympic Act of 2006 which regulate the use of the Olympic logo and associated branding., and the tactics some businesses may resort to, in order to raise their profile and gain commercial advantage through next year’s London Games.
They also covered a range of topics, including the domination of big brand sponsorship, the ticket allocation debacle, the rise of online and digital advertising, and whether breaking the strict Olympic charter – a set of rules and guidelines governing the organisation of the games and the Olympic movement - might even raise human rights issues within the Olympic Act.
Fiona Hammond spoke frankly about the topical issues surrounding Olympic sponsorship and its implications, saying: “Whilst sponsorship isn’t bankrolling the game entirely, it is funding it to a great extent. Ambush marketing has become something of an Olympic sport in itself and exposure of a brand at this sort of event can be priceless. Indirect ambush marketing can often circumvent existing copyright laws and by publicly challenging brands with these laws will only give them more publicity.”
The subject of small businesses and their right to sponsorship was another hot topic discussed by Chris Willingham, who oversees Olympic sponsors Cadbury’s account at Saatchi and Saatchi agency Fallon. He offered a more balanced view on their behalf, saying: “Challenging small businesses in their involvement is negative news and from the perspective of Cadbury’s, this can seem somewhat draconian. However, there is a desire to see some sort of exemptions.”
Although many of the topics discussed were inconclusive, Adrian Warner reassured guests that the media would ‘continue to probe these questions on the public’s behalf’.
Daniel Sandford, YN Fundraiser, said: “The evening has been a great success and I would like to thank our special guests for providing such a thought provoking and entertaining discussion. A special thanks is also due to our moderator, for expertly leading the panel through the legal maze. I would also like to thank the YN Lawyers Committee for helping to make the event such a great success, our sponsors First Advantage Litigation Consulting, our media partners the Jewish Chronicle and all our guests for their generous support.”
