Firm owns symbol

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33521, 30 April 1974, Page 1

Firm owns symbol

The Commonwealth : Games symbol is the: property of Tenth British Commonwealth ' Games, Ltd. and will remain so until the company assigns the owner-! shift says the Games! organisation’s legal and concessions chairman (Mr N. G. Hattaway) in a prepared statement. [ The statement was promp- ■ ted by a Press Association' message from Wellingtonl which said that the New Zea-: ’ land Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association/had received an application [from the Meat Board for the ■:use of the symbol and that ■ the association had post- : poned giving an answer until ;!it had a legal opinion on ■ whether the rights of the /symbol were bought for all I

time or only for the duration. of the Games. : In his statement, Mr Flatta-: ■ way says that no-one need be too concerned or in doubt about the proprietary rights of the symbol. “It belongs to the Tenth ’British Commonwealth :: Games, Ltd, and will remain /so until the company assigns ■ that ownership. Clauses 12 ■ and 13 of the torm signed by I all entrants in the design I competition in 1971 (to find ’a symbol) protect the symbol [and the company in this i wa y”. . , . ; Inquiries, he says, are being received constantly by the Games organising com- ’ mittee (as agent for the company) for the use of the sym■|bol, . including inquiries recently from the New Zealand /Lawn Tennis Association, the i Apple and Pear Board and I the Department of Trade and [lndustry for an Australian /venture. ■ I However, as stated earlier. I ;and in spue of some interest-

ing views which have suggested action to the contrary, the committee intends io assign the long-term rights to the nation, assuming, oi course, that the nation wishes to accept these rights, the statement says. “The way in which this can be done is not completely clear since there are, of course, no precedents. The' matter is presently being studied with the help of rhe Department of Internal Affairs,” says Mr Hattaway. “Although approval to use the symbol, as a bow crest only, was given to the New Zealand Shipping Corporation — with the knowledge and encouragement of the Prime Minister — no further commitments will be made until the long-term issue has been formally settled. “In view of the increasing interest in the symbol it seems more desirable than ever that provision be made for its protection,” Mr Hattaiway concludes. d