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With the start of summer Olympics on July 26, I figured I’d share some information about Olympic trademarks for crafters.
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Can Crafters Make Olympic Themed Products & Sell Them?
Put simply: No. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has various trademarks covering everything related to the Olympics. In the Brand Usage Guidelines, they provide a graphic with a list of words and phrases as well as logos.
Additionally, the Brand Usage Guidelines give specifics for commercial usage, social media usage, editorial usage, educational usage, philanthropic usage, and more.
How to Get Licensed with the Olympics
If you are interested in getting licensing to legally use Olympic Intellectual Property or sell Olympic themed gear, you can fill out the application.
What About Mentioning the Olympics on Your Brand’s Social Media Channels?
If you clicked over and read the Brand Usage Guidelines, you might have noticed that they strictly control what can be posted on corporate (meaning: your craft business) social media pages. Let’s look at a few examples:
- Example 1: You want to post #GoTeamUSA with a generic Olympic graphic on your craft business Facebook Page. No. This is against the Brand Usage Guidelines.
- Example 2: You want to make Olympic rings from glitter on your workspace and post it to TikTok. No. Again, this is also against the Brand Usage Guidelines.
- Example 3: You want to stylize your brand’s logo on your social media accounts with an Olympic twist to celebrate the start of the Olympics. No, you guessed it – against the Brand Usage Guidelines.
- Example 4: You want to hold a fun online event called, ‘Your Craft Business Name Olympics Challenge’. No, by now you’ve got the point – it is against the Brand Usage Guidelines.
- Example 5: Your favorite athlete received a medal in their event. You want to post on your craft business’ Instagram page congratulating them during the games. No, this is against the Brand Usage Guidelines and Rule 40.
After you’ve read the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Brand Usage Guidelines, pop over and read this article from the University at Buffalo about why the United States Olympic Committee has unique rights over their trademarks – that no other business has.
Trademark Guidance for Teams Outside the USA
Looking for trademark guidance on countries outside the United States? A quick search for ‘Olympic Trademark Usage (Country)’ is a good place to start.
Since 2015, Christine Schinagl has been helping crafters start and run craft businesses through her blog, Cutting for Business. As a Silhouette and Cricut crafter herself, she has a unique take on what works and what doesn’t work in the craft business world. She also enjoys teaching other crafters how to create digital SVG designs, available through the Design with Me series.