According to a story published by UK newspaper The Independent, hundreds of uniformed officers began scouring the streets of London this week, on the hunt for ambush marketing activities and advertisements by companies seeking to leverage the Olympic brand without being official sponsors. Under special brand protection legislation passed for the games, the agents have the power to enter shops or offices and bring legal action against companies violating the law.
Although many of the words whose use in advertisements is regulated seem obvious, such as “Olympic” and “medals,” others, such as “London,” “summer” and “sponsors,” are much more mundane, causing some to question the breadth of the legislation.
Click here to read the story in The Independent.
