Die Werbung einer Onlinehändlerin mit den Begriffen “Olympia-Rabatt” und “Olympische Preise” verstößt nicht gegen das Gesetz zum Schutz des olympischen Emblems und der olympischen Bezeichnungen (OlympSchG). Dies hat die Kammer für Handelssachen II des Landgerichts Kiel in ihrem am 21.06.2012 verkündeten Urteil (Az. 15 O 158/11) entschieden.

Die beklagte Onlinehändlerin hatte im Jahre 2008 ihre Kontaktlinsen und Pflegemittel beworben, medstore indem sie die Bezeichnung “Olympische Preise” und den Satz “Mit unserem 10 EUR Olympia-Rabatt auf L. Maxi-Spar-Sets sind Sie ganz klar auf Siegeskurs!” verwendete. Daraufhin hatte sie eine Abmahnung des Deutschen Olympischen Sportbundes e.V. (DOSB) erhalten. Dieser war der Ansicht, arthritis die Händlerin verletze seine Rechte aus dem OlympSchG. Weil Wörter wie “olympisch” und “Olympia” nach dem Markenrecht nicht schutzfähig sind, abortion hatte der Gesetzgeber im Jahre 2004 eigens hierfür das OlympSchG geschaffen, um die Olympia-Bewerbung Leipzigs zu unterstützen.

Da die Beklagte nicht bereit war, die Kosten der Abmahnung zu tragen, erhob der Kläger Klage vor dem Landgericht Kiel. Dieses hielt die Abmahnung jedoch für unberechtigt und wies die Klage ab. Es fehle an der nach dem OlympSchG erforderlichen “Verwechslungsgefahr”, da die Werbung durch die bloße Verwendung der Wörter “olympisch” und “Olympia” keine Assoziation zum Kläger hervorrufe. Auch eine Ausnutzung der Wertschätzung der geschützten Bezeichnungen sei in der Werbung nicht zu erkennen gewesen. “Das Gericht teilt unsere Auffassung”, so Rechtsanwalt Moritz Diekmann aus Hamburg, der die Beklagte vertritt. “Unsere Mandantin erweckt mit ihrer Werbung nicht den Eindruck, Sponsor der Olympischen Spiele zu sein. Eine Verwendung den Olympischen Bezeichnungen im allgemeinen Sprachgebrauch zur Erlangung einer zusätzlichen Aufmerksamkeit kann vom DOSB nicht untersagt werden.”

Das noch nicht rechtskräftige Urteil bietet allen in Deutschland Werbetreibenden wichtige Anhaltspunkte dafür, wie in rechtlich zulässiger Weise mit Begriffen wie “olympisch” oder “Olympia” geworben werden kann.

ExteNet Systems, recipe the leader in implementation and operations of distributed wireless networks, ampoule today announced its agreement with Forest City Ratner Companies to design, impotent install, manage, and maintain a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) network in the newly constructed Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Scheduled to open in September 2012, the 675,000-square-foot, 19,000-seat Barclays Center will be home to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Brooklyn Nets at the start of the 2012-2013 season. Barclays Center is scheduled to host more than 220 events per year including concerts, sports, family shows, and other special events.

Chip Foley, Director of Building Technology at Forest City Ratner Companies, a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, said, “We chose ExteNet Systems to help make Barclays Center the premier location for entertainment in New York by ensuring superior wireless capacity and coverage with proven DAS coverage. ExteNet’s experience in deploying large-scale communication networks coupled with a business model that supports a cost-effective entry for wireless carriers made the ExteNet decision smart on all fronts.”

The need for voice, data, and video connectivity is amplified in the world of sports. Bandwidth needs arising from always-on connectivity, real-time video streaming, and multi-media messaging at sports arenas is straining wireless carriers’ existing networks. Sports fans expect to view the games and enjoy an on-demand, personalized multimedia mobile experience.

Ross W. Manire, President and CEO at ExteNet Systems, noted, “ExteNet and its venue-owner partners recognize the rapid change in fan expectations and we are working with leading wireless carriers to enable their networks of the future to provide the coverage and capacity needed to rapidly change the entertainment and communication experience at venues and events.” Manire added, “We are pleased to work on a prestigious project like Barclays Center.”

Teresa Masterangelo, Principal Analyst at Broadbandtrends, a leading market research firm specializing in the fixed and wireless broadband convergence, explained, “The need for capacity and coverage is accentuated in high traffic venues and user expectations for anytime, anywhere connectivity needs to be satiated at all times. DAS is a proven technology. Changing user behavior, the deluge of next-gen data applications and the inability of macro-cell networks to provide adequate coverage and capacity is necessitating that wireless carriers work with companies like ExteNet to serve subscribers emerging needs of with technology solutions like DAS.”

As part of its total solution offering, ExteNet also provides a suite of Professional Services including a 24×7 Network Operations Center (NOC).

A planned US$205m arena to be built alongside the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) development in Glasgow has been renamed the Scottish Hydro Arena after the energy supplier agreed a 10-year naming rights deal worth $24.6m.

It is hoped the 12,000-seater venue, set to be opened in 2013, will host 140 events annually and attract audiences of one million per year, attracting major sporting events such as ATP tennis tournaments and international basketball matches.

The to-be-built stadium is already expected to stage gymnastics for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is also set to host the Mobo awards.

Ian Marchant, chief executive of SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy), stated: “We’ve supported music events that people have enjoyed for some time. Now we’re involved on a larger stage, it means we can bring the experience to many more people.”

John Sharkey, chief executive of the SECC, added: “To be partnering with a successful and established FTSE top 30 UK brand with Scottish roots is part of our commitment to working with the best in the business. Scottish Hydro shares our vision for the new arena that will position Glasgow and Scotland at the forefront of the global events and entertainment industry.”

David Bernstein, chairman of the English Football Association, has written to FIFA President Sepp Blatter to reassure him that they want to continue working with the world governing body, despite protesting at some of the comments made by senior officials, including Argentina’s Julio Grondona and Spain’s Angel Maria Villar-Llona.

An albeit unsuccessful attempt to get the controversial election at the FIFA Congress in Zurich last Wednesday, June 1, postponed, saw the FA praised and criticised in equal measure, demonstrating how isolated English soccer has become in the international arena.

Blatter promised after his re-election that England would not be punished for their intervention and that he wanted to continue to work with the FA and Bernstein has responded in kind.

The FA chairman wrote, in an article published in The Mail on Sunday: “Some advised against doing so [trying to get the election postponed] but I would have not been true to English football if I had ducked the issue.

“The various allegations of corruption and poor governance are highly damaging to the game and I am convinced our views have been a catalyst for change.

“I’ve since written to Sepp Blatter and restated our desire and support for reform and that England wants to continue working with FIFA.

“This is hugely important and the calls for us to remove ourselves completely are made without considering any impact this will have – no England teams, no European club football, foreign players moving or risking worldwide bans.”

However, Bernstein remains unhappy about the conduct of Grondona and Villar-Llona, both members of FIFA’s ruling Executive Committee, who were publicly highly critical of England during the Congress. 

“The lack of respect shown to England by some FIFA representatives for us speaking out was unacceptable – particularly the accusation of lies – and I have made reference to this in my letter to Mr Blatter,” said Bernstein.

Bernstein revealed that he has also written to UEFA President Michel Platini, who is tipped to succeed Blatter when he steps down in 2015, adding: “I’ve written to Michel Platini to set out how important this is to the FA.

“Last weekend was great for UEFA in England and I know how much Michel enjoyed his time in London and the superb Champions League Final [between Barcelona and Manchester United] at Wembley. We have to play a serious role in UEFA, to best represent English football.”

Bernstein went on to acknowledge that the FA has too look at its own structures as well, adding: “While we are right to advocate reform at FIFA, we are not blind to the need for necessary reform at home.

“We cannot call others into question without addressing the concerns around the governance of the FA and English football.

“There is a need for greater independence and expertise at the top of the FA and tomorrow I will begin my own consultation programme to instigate this.

“I have asked both the Premier and Football Leagues to work together with the FA to review the way the game is currently regulated and identify where improvements might be needed, to ensure greater transparency and accountability.

“We have to press forward with this as an absolute priority.

“So many people are looking for leadership from the FA. We cannot ease up on our pursuit of independence, good governance and transparency.

“If we want respect from fans, clubs, players and leagues we have to earn it. With my board members, I am determined we will provide the leadership required.”

Die ZDF-Berichterstattung von den Olympischen Spielen in London stößt nach wie vor auf großes Zuschauerinteresse. Der vorläufige Höhepunkt der Wettbewerbe, cough das 100-Meter-Finale der Männer, arthritis erreichte am späten Sonntagabend, discount 5. August 2012, einen außerordentlich hohen Zuspruch bei den ZDF-Zuschauern: 8,81 Millionen Leichtathletik-Freunde verfolgten am Bildschirm den erneuten Olympiasieg von Superstar Usain Bolt aus Jamaika. Sogar 8,83 Millionen wollten kurz zuvor das 400-Meter-Rennen mit dem südafrikanischen Prothesen-Läufer Oscar Pistorius sehen. Damit erzielten diese beiden Rennen den bisher höchsten Zuschauerwert bei Olympia 2012.

Die abendlichen Leichtathletikübertragungen im ZDF erreichten Marktanteile von bis zu 31,8 Prozent.

ZDF-Olympia-Teamchef Dieter Gruschwitz: “Die Zuschauer nehmen unser Programmangebot mit einer Mischung aus Livebildern und aufgezeichneten Wettbewerben dankbar an. Dabei liegt der Liveanteil regelmäßig zwischen 80 und 90 Prozent.”

Der Durchschnittswert aller bisherigen Olympia-Übertragungen an den ZDF-Tagen, die jeweils vom frühen Morgen bis spät in die Nacht reichen, beträgt 3,58 Millionen Zuschauer. Das entspricht einem Marktanteil von 24,5 Prozent.

Twitter and ESPN have agreed a partnership looking to cash in on the sky-high volume of tweets about sports on TV by creating custom campaigns for brands around events like the World Series and the Super Bowl.

The two companies are announcing the first program, called GameFace, at ESPN’s upfront Tuesday morning. GameFace will center around the NBA Finals and be promoted on Twitter with the #GameFace hashtag. The social-TV dimension calls for the hashtag and program to be promoted on-screen during ABC’s live broadcasts of the NBA Finals, as well as on ESPN’s “NBA Tonight” show.

The goal of this initial campaign is to get fans to tweet photos of their best “game face” accompanied by the dedicated hashtag. At the end of each game of the finals, “NBA Tonight” studio analysts will display some of the top contest photographs on air. Some photos will also get exposure at ESPN.com/NBA.

Twitter and ESPN will be co-selling the campaign — which includes promoted tweets and trends, as well as plugs on ESPN, ABC and ESPN.com — as a single package for each potential sponsor. It’s the first time Twitter has collaborated with a TV network to build custom sponsorship packages around major events.

Twitter and ESPN said it is too early to describe exactly how a brand will be integrated, since they have not sold the first deal. At a minimum, the GameFace sponsor’s brand will displayed within the onscreen promotion of the contest on ABC, most likely within a lower-third graphic. The sponsor’s brand is also expected to be tied into the Twitter page housing the GameFace photo entries. The companies declined to discuss pricing.