Twitter suspends London 2012 parody account
Twitter suspended an account in May that parodied the London 2012 Olympic Games and used its trademarked emblem, before the group responsible agreed to remove the image.
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog), which is the organiser of this summer’s event, contacted Twitter to raise concerns about the ‘Space Hijackers’ account.
The micro-blogging website said it suspended the account because it had used the London 2012 emblem in a way that could confuse or mislead others into thinking the account was an official Olympic sponsor.
The Space Hijackers wrote to Twitter, agreeing not to use the emblem again. Twitter then reactivated the account, which now uses a different image.
A Locog spokesman said: “Twitter has a process in place which any brand can use to report potential intellectual property issues. Like many brands, Locog has used, and will continue to use, this process when necessary.” Twitter could not comment on the matter owing to privacy reasons.
The London 2012 image and the words ‘London 2012’ are protected trademarks under the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006. According to the Locog spokesman, the act will continue to cover these trademarks even after the event has finished. But, it said, the responsibility for protecting the Olympic brand in the UK will pass back to the British Olympic Association by the end of 2012.
