Vancouver 2010 Brand Protection Programme"The IOC and its partners in the Olympic Movement take the threat of ambush marketing very seriously. We want to protect the integrityof the Olympic rings, the Olympic values and the future viability of the Olympic Games."Gerhard Heiberg Chairman, IOC Marketing CommissionOfficial sponsors, broadcasters and licensees of the Olympic Movement all make significantinvestments to ensure the successful staging of the Olympic Games, and in return are granted the exclusive right to associate themselves with the Olympic rings and promote their affiliation with the Games.Unfortunately, some companies try to create unauthorised associations with the Games through the use of 'ambush' marketing tactics. In order to combat these attempts to create a false attachment to the Games, VANOC and the IOCestablished an assessment model to review possible infringements before deciding whether anyappropriate action was necessary.Brand Management Guidelines were also distributed to both the business community and members of the public to provide an overview of VANOC's brand protection work, as well as offer suggestions on how to engage in the excitement and opportunities of the Games without infringing on theOlympic brand."Excellent deterrence messaging about the consequences of unfairmarketing tactics across most major Canadian media just previous to the Games ultimately translated into minimal brand infringements during the Games."Bill Cooper Commercial Rights Management, VANOC142Chapter Eight / PROTECTING THE OLYMPIC BRAND

Unauthorised Ticket SalesVANOC took significant measures to address the issue of unauthorised ticket sales, encouragingconsumers to ensure the authenticity of their tickets by only purchasing directly fromvancouver2010.com, or from the official ticket partners and hospitality providers of the Games.In addition, VANOC established a centralised resale and distribution resource on the official Vancouver2010 website - known as the Fan-to-Fan Marketplace - where members of the public could safelyexchange, sell and purchase tickets among themselves. Counterfeit MerchandiseThe trade in counterfeit Olympic merchandise - bearing unauthorised reproductions of protectedtrademarks and copyrights - is not only illegal, but it directly and negatively impacts the success of the Games. VANOC encouraged consumers to check any Olympic merchandise they purchased for the uniquesecurity device that was affixed to each item, confirming the product's authenticity. This enabled consumers to be confident that the product they were buying was produced accordingto a high level of ethical sourcing and social responsibility, as well as to strict safety and qualityassurance standards.VANOC also established an anti-counterfeit initiative and worked closely with law enforcement andthe Canada Border Services Agency to help combat the issue.Chapter Eight / PROTECTING THE OLYMPIC BRAND143