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It is unclear whether Sydney Olympic will be forced to make further changes to remove the torch, which is presently on the logo of another Greek-backed club, West Adelaide Hellas. However, the use of the torch in conjunction with the word ‘Olympic’ could be problematic.
The flame of the torch also takes the shape of the Sydney Opera House, which could pose a separate trademark issue. National Basketball League side Sydney Kings unveiled a rebrand in 2020 without the iconic landmark’s likeness after the NBL and the Opera House failed to come to a licensing agreement. The Kings were later allowed to use the Opera House’s outline, which had been part of their logo since they began in 1988.
Founded in 1957 as Pan-Hellenic, Sydney Olympic took on its current name when the club entered the NSL in 1977 – 16 years before Sydney was awarded the 2000 Olympic Games.
‘Olympic’ is a common name among many Greek-Australian soccer clubs, in reference to the town of Olympia, the cradle of the modern Olympic movement in Greece. For Greek migrants, the word carries immense symbolic weight.
The AOC and International Olympic Committee are known for aggressively policing their intellectual property, and acting swiftly when non-affiliated businesses or other organisations use Olympic symbols without permission.
FULL AOC STATEMENT
The AOC generally allows entities to continue to use the word mark ‘Olympic’ in their trading names, if the entity was established prior to the enforcement of the Olympic Insignia Protection Act 1987 (Cth) (OIPA) – which the Club falls under given it was established in 1957. The permission applies provided they continue to operate in their usual manner, and don’t emphasise the use of the term ‘Olympic’, they don’t imply any official association or endorsement with the AOC, the Australian Olympic Team, or the IOC.
However, it doesn’t extend to the use of any “Olympic properties”, including the Rings and Torch. These are protected Olympic IP reserved exclusively for official Olympic sponsors and licensees.
Sydney Olympic FC did not approach the AOC about this logo specifically, but we will give them a call and talk through Olympic IP permissions, requesting them to remove the rings and torch given they are protected Olympic properties.
