It is amazing that through all the recent discussion of the attempts by Vancouver 2010 Olympic organizers to remove non-sanctioned use of trademarked words and symbols that no one has pointed a finger to the provincial government for causing the current disputes.
The branch of government that reviews new company names needs to take some, if not all, responsibility for the current disputes between 2010 organizers and people like the Olympic Valley Group (OVG) in Squamish.
Ted Brooks from OVG told me that he submitted the names he wanted for his company and his first choice was approved.
Why is the B.C. Business Registry, a branch of the provincial government, not telling people that they can't use the word Olympic in their business name? Giving clearance to the use of the name was a huge mistake and I sure hope they won't be approving any more new names containing the trademarked words protected by the Olympic movement.
Based on my recent discussion with Brooks I came away with the understanding that if the province had told Brooks he couldn't use the word "Olympic" because of trademark issues, he would have chosen another name.
Others in the same situation would have likely done the same. I can't see very many good business people getting into a scrap with the registry over a name that they clearly understand violates trademark laws.
I'm sure many others who submitted name requests with Olympic-related wording were surprised to get permission without opposition. The naming of OVG took place well after it was commonly known that Canada was submitting a bid to host the 2010 Games in Vancouver and Whistler, so one would think that the business registry would have been extra sensitive to potential Olympic-related trademark violations.
Brooks was told that he could use the word "Olympic" in his company name so he went ahead with the name. He now has to choose between fighting an expensive legal battle to keep his company name, or he can simply roll over and start the expensive process of changing the name.
All of this could have been avoided had the B.C. Business Registry told Brooks and other like-minded business owners to stay away from the word "Olympic".
At the end of the day, Brooks and Olympia Pizza in Vancouver are going to get publicity that will be equal in value to the smoke-clouded gold medal that was placed around the neck of Ross Rebagliati in Nagano, Japan.
