Local company could face lawsuit over Olympics logo
»Play Video
SEATTLE -- The owners of a Beacon Hill cab company are showing enthusiasm for the Olympic Games, but it could land them in court.
Olympic for Hire may sound like it refers to the Olympic mountain range, but five interlocking rings prove otherwise. The cab company has multiple copies of the Olympic-brand logo on at least two cabs. The decoration could be the basis for an injunction.
Attorney Michael Atkins says Mcdonald's, Nbc and Coca-Cola pay millions of dollars to sponsor the games.
"You're one of the few that gets to use the Olympic rings and get to use the Olympic name in your advertising and for some that holds big cache," he said.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has federal protection to sue if companies use trademarks without paying or permission.
"The USOC has not been shy about doing that. And in doing so, they haven't won very many friends," Atkins said.
So how did the name and the rings get plastered on taxi cabs on Beacon Hill, some 4800 miles from London?
The representative found at an address listed for the company wouldn't give his name and didn't want to say much about the Olympic aesthetics. He gave no comment. A man answering the dispatch line said there was no agreement in place to use the logos, but they were used anyway.
Atkins says it was a bold move to put the logos on the cabs. A lawsuit could come at any time. "By taking that extra step, you're really kind of sticking your neck out a little further than you would if you were just using the name," he said.
The USOC had no comment for the story today.
Olympic for Hire may sound like it refers to the Olympic mountain range, but five interlocking rings prove otherwise. The cab company has multiple copies of the Olympic-brand logo on at least two cabs. The decoration could be the basis for an injunction.
Attorney Michael Atkins says Mcdonald's, Nbc and Coca-Cola pay millions of dollars to sponsor the games.
"You're one of the few that gets to use the Olympic rings and get to use the Olympic name in your advertising and for some that holds big cache," he said.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has federal protection to sue if companies use trademarks without paying or permission.
"The USOC has not been shy about doing that. And in doing so, they haven't won very many friends," Atkins said.
So how did the name and the rings get plastered on taxi cabs on Beacon Hill, some 4800 miles from London?
The representative found at an address listed for the company wouldn't give his name and didn't want to say much about the Olympic aesthetics. He gave no comment. A man answering the dispatch line said there was no agreement in place to use the logos, but they were used anyway.
Atkins says it was a bold move to put the logos on the cabs. A lawsuit could come at any time. "By taking that extra step, you're really kind of sticking your neck out a little further than you would if you were just using the name," he said.
The USOC had no comment for the story today.
B.TW. all of those "for hire" cars are all flying under the radar in the first place.NO background check required to drive one of these. You can drive if you fail a taxi test.,just as you can operate a for hire town car.Little or no enforcement of regulations (whatever they are) makes it easy to cut into PERMITTED Taxi & Limo Co. busniess. Why do you think these Flat rate for hire companys are popping up like weeds? I'm sure this "company" is more worried about the potential exposure this will generate, rather than an olympic trademark violation.
Stay away from the Olympic rings! A Greek restaurant in Vancouver BC that has been there for over ten years before the Olympics up there was sued.Â
My question is who or which company was the one that decided to point fingers?Â
They may have a legal out. The actual logo uses colored rings. The cab company's are all white. If the USOC was all that picky, they would have sued Audi years ago.
 @Glassman http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Audi
Â
 @Glassman Audi logo is four interlocked rings in a row while this one is five staggered exactly like the Olympic Games logo, regardless of coloring, and has the word "Olympic" next to it. Had it simply been the name without the logo, Im sure the Olympics would have not picked it up.
The USOC takes their trademarks VERY seriously. This company WILL be sued. They WILL lose. It WILL cost them a fortune (and in all liklihood their business). Remove the logo & make it look like the Olympic mountains and you will save yourself, time, frustration & MONEY.
 @EMDF9A It will likely cost them very little. It will likely it will start with a cease and desist order. They'll have to pay to have the logos removed, but I doubt a huge suit will follow
They should change their name to Stupid Cab Company.
Maybe the USOC didn't call KOMO back because it's an IOC trademark.
@KOMO_Sapiens from the story: "The U.S. Olympic Committee has federal protection to sue if companies use trademarks without paying or permission."
Â
Well, that sounds like the USOC has the power to sue anyone who uses it
They should have contacted the Olympic committee first - maybe the they would have paid the Olympic cab company to advertise the Olympics on its cabs! Instead the cab company presented itself an opportunity to lose money.
So as understand the story, they knew they were wrong to use the logo and did it anyway. Maybe it's just me but I think that is really wrong and I think it really shows just how low some people will sink.
@DeadRabitz
Are you kidding me? This is simply a very small taxi cab company trying to make a buck. They very likely chose the name out of .........who knows what. Clearly, they're not trying to make money off the Olympics.
Try to find a better example for your worthless news story. It was funny to see the news people chasing over to the taxi office to get an 'official response'.
More stories like this and I'm going back to 'The Home Team'.
@Critical Thinker Go then, no one will miss you