Intellectual property enclosure and economic discourse in the 2012 London Olympic Games

Erickson, K. and Wei, L. (2015) Intellectual property enclosure and economic discourse in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Media, Culture and Society, 37(3), pp. 409-421. (doi: 10.1177/0163443714567022)

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Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0163443714567022

Abstract

Special legislation associated with mega sporting events has enabled new forms of cultural enclosure, effectively commoditising aspects of cultural expression that previously remained in the public domain. In this article, the authors examine the tension between economic and political justifications for hosting the Olympics and the intellectual property enclosures that are imposed upon host nations. These enclosures extend beyond what is traditionally protected under trade mark law, to include ‘generic’ terms. Enabling market competitors to freely use generic, descriptive language is a core doctrine of trade mark law, seeking to balance monopoly IP rights with free market competition. The authors evaluate the impact of special legislative enclosures on the public interest, and argue that collective access to expression should be more carefully considered in political and economic calculations of the value of the Olympics.

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:IP, enclosure, Olympics, public domain, trade mark
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Erickson, Professor Kristofer
Authors: Erickson, K., and Wei, L.
Subjects:H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Law
Journal Name:Media, Culture and Society
Publisher:SAGE Publications
ISSN:0163-4437
ISSN (Online):1460-3675
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 The Authors
First Published:First published in Media Culture and Society 37(3):409-421
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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