Nairobi Treaty On The Protection Of The Olympic Symbol

Summary of Nairobi Treaty On The Protection Of The Olympic Symbol

An international agreement to protect the Olympic symbol against commercial use without the approval of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The treaty specifies that adhering states will prohibit use of the Olympic symbol on goods or advertising or as a trademark except under license from the IOC. In those instances where the IOC imposes a license fee for use of the symbol, a portion of the revenue must be allocated to the relevant national Olympic committee.

The agreement is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (read this and related legal terms for further details) and is open to any state which is a member of that organization, the United Nations or any of its specialized agencies, or the Paris Convention (read this and related legal terms for further details). In 1984 the following states had adopted the Nairobi Treaty: Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Kenya.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)