FIFA Don't like Metlife

[kphoger]

Most people, in common conversation, never use corporate, or political/historical, names for stadiums, airports, roads or whatever.  Unless you are in a really big city, the airport is "the airport", the other airport is "Jim is flying to Kansas City", the ball game is "the Cubs are in town through Thursday", and the road is "Route 67" (or some other regional variation on the manner of speech.

my bet is "take me to the Mets ballgame" would satisfy any cab driver in NY, without any reference to Citi Bank.

But that's not what you claimed.  What you claimed is that most people don't use the names.

I've heard the name Coors Field plenty of times for the place where the Rockies play.  Same with Busch Stadium for the place where the Cardinals play.  Or United Center for the place where the Bulls and the Blackhawks play.  People use those corporate names in casual conversation all the time.

[vdeane]

Is "the NYC area game is being played across the river in NJ in the Meadowlands complex" too complicated for Soccer fans?

Yes, because the name has to be translated to dozens of languages for consistent use across guides, broadcasts, and other materials. Easier to just use the name of a city. "Meadowlands" might not have a valid translation in some languages.

For the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the same kind of generic names were used to replace sponsored venues.

Why would a proper noun be translated?  In any case, they're going to have to deal with it in some form, because the stadium is in the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which is the name of the train station and what's signed on all the highway exits.

[kphoger]

Found on Reddit:

I'm excited for Metlife to turn into the New York Metro Area Stadium at the Swamps of East Rutherford New Jersey

Fuck FIFA

That should be the name of at least one stadium.

[ZLoth]

[vdeane]

Why is turning trademark protection into gag rules even legal?  It's one thing to block people from giving something the same name or copying designs, but banning people from even referring to your own thing to the point where you can't even say "you can watch it here" or have the media even refer to it without getting creative should not be allowed.

[kalvado]

Why is turning trademark protection into gag rules even legal?  It's one thing to block people from giving something the same name or copying designs, but banning people from even referring to your own thing to the point where you can't even say "you can watch it here" or have the media even refer to it without getting creative should not be allowed.

I wouldn't be surprised if, due to the way US got the cup, FIFA's goal is to make exemplary disaster out of it.

[MikeTheActuary]

Why is turning trademark protection into gag rules even legal?  It's one thing to block people from giving something the same name or copying designs, but banning people from even referring to your own thing to the point where you can't even say "you can watch it here" or have the media even refer to it without getting creative should not be allowed.

FIFA seems to be emulating the Olympics here.   The IOC tends to be similarly heavy-handed (and has been supported by laws and courts in its heavy-handedness) when it comes to protecting its trademark on "Olympics".

[hotdogPi]

Does trademark law allow the owner to say "you can use the name freely when referring to our event but you can't call something else that"?

[jeffandnicole]

Similar to why we refer to the Super Bowl as the Superb Owl.

[1995hoo]

Why is turning trademark protection into gag rules even legal?  It's one thing to block people from giving something the same name or copying designs, but banning people from even referring to your own thing to the point where you can't even say "you can watch it here" or have the media even refer to it without getting creative should not be allowed.

FIFA seems to be emulating the Olympics here.   The IOC tends to be similarly heavy-handed (and has been supported by laws and courts in its heavy-handedness) when it comes to protecting its trademark on "Olympics".

I'm pretty sure there is a very specific federal statute governing the word in the case of the Olympics.

[vdeane]

Does trademark law allow the owner to say "you can use the name freely when referring to our event but you can't call something else that"?

Wouldn't that be the obvious, common sense interpretation of any way of phrasing the law that doesn't explicitly say otherwise?

[SP Cook]

I'm pretty sure there is a very specific federal statute governing the word in the case of the Olympics.

36 USC 220506

(a)Exclusive Right of Corporation.—Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the corporation has the exclusive right to use—
(1)the name "United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee";
(2)the symbol of the International Olympic Committee, consisting of 5 interlocking rings, the symbol of the International Paralympic Committee, consisting of 3 Agitos, or the symbol of the Pan-American Sports Organization, consisting of a torch surrounded by concentric rings;
(3)the emblem of the corporation, consisting of an escutcheon having a blue chief and vertically extending red and white bars on the base with 5 interlocking rings displayed on the chief; and
(4)the words "Olympic", "Olympiad", "Citius Altius Fortius", "Paralympic", "Paralympiad", "Pan-American", "Parapan American", "America Espirito Sport Fraternite", or any combination of those words.
(b)Contributors and Suppliers.—
The corporation may authorize contributors and suppliers of goods or services to use the trade name of the corporation or any trademark, symbol, insignia, or emblem of the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, the Pan-American Sports Organization, or of the corporation to advertise that the contributions, goods, or services were donated or supplied to, or approved, selected, or used by, the corporation, the United States Olympic team, the Paralympic team, the Pan-American team, the Parapan American team, or team members.
(c)Civil Action for Unauthorized Use.—Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the corporation may file a civil action against a person for the remedies provided in the Act of July 5, 1946 (15 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.) (popularly known as the Trademark Act of 1946) if the person, without the consent of the corporation, uses for the purpose of trade, to induce the sale of any goods or services, or to promote any theatrical exhibition, athletic performance, or competition—
(1)the symbol described in subsection (a)(2) of this section;
(2)the emblem described in subsection (a)(3) of this section;
(3)the words described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, or any combination or simulation of those words tending to cause confusion or mistake, to deceive, or to falsely suggest a connection with the corporation or any Olympic, Paralympic, Pan-American, or Parapan American Games activity; or
(4)any trademark, trade name, sign, symbol, or insignia falsely representing association with, or authorization by, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Pan-American Sports Organization, or the corporation.
(d)Pre-Existing and Geographic Reference Rights.—
(1)A person who actually used the emblem described in subsection (a)(3) of this section, or the words or any combination of the words described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, for any lawful purpose before September 21, 1950, is not prohibited by this section from continuing the lawful use for the same purpose and for the same goods or services.
(2)A person who actually used, or whose assignor actually used, the words or any combination of the words described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, or a trademark, trade name, sign, symbol, or insignia described in subsection (c)(4) of this section, for any lawful purpose before September 21, 1950, is not prohibited by this section from continuing the lawful use for the same purpose and for the same goods or services.
(3)Use of the word "Olympic" to identify a business or goods or services is permitted by this section where—
(A)such use is not combined with any of the intellectual properties referenced in subsection (a) or (c) of this section;
(B)it is evident from the circumstances that such use of the word "Olympic" refers to the naturally occurring mountains or geographical region of the same name that were named prior to February 6, 1998, and not to the corporation or any Olympic activity; and
(C)such business, goods, or services are operated, sold, and marketed in the State of Washington west of the Cascade Mountain range and operations, sales, and marketing outside of this area are not substantial.

This section, which is a part of the act creating the USOC, and not the regular US patent and trademark law, has always seemed suspect to me.  The government just gave a special quasi-trademark to a group of self-appointed and self-declared big shots.  A word that had been in common use for centuries prior.

[vdeane]

(4)the words "Olympic", "Olympiad", "Citius Altius Fortius", "Paralympic", "Paralympiad", "Pan-American", "Parapan American", "America Espirito Sport Fraternite", or any combination of those words.

Wait, is the Olympics the reason why the US never designated an official section of the Pan-American Highway?

[Road Hog]

FIFA loathes the USA, but they don't loathe the green that America provides.

I expect the next North American World Cup to rotate back a lot sooner than the 32 years the last one took.

[vdeane]

Speaking of FIFA, I was looking at hotels for the weekend of the Hunterdon County meet, and the difference in price between the locations served by NJ Transit and those that aren't are stark.  Hotels in Clinton are going for $300/night while in Easton, PA they're half the price.

[Bruce]

FIFA loathes the USA, but they don't loathe the green that America provides.

I expect the next North American World Cup to rotate back a lot sooner than the 32 years the last one took.

FIFA managed to rig the 2030/2034 hosting in a way that makes 2038 inevitable for the United States. The only eligible regions for that tournament will be CONCACAF (North America, Central America, Caribbean) and Oceania (which does not include Australia).

[1995hoo]

FIFA loathes the USA, but they don't loathe the green that America provides.

I expect the next North American World Cup to rotate back a lot sooner than the 32 years the last one took.

FIFA managed to rig the 2030/2034 hosting in a way that makes 2038 inevitable for the United States. The only eligible regions for that tournament will be CONCACAF (North America, Central America, Caribbean) and Oceania (which does not include Australia).

Unless they change the rules or otherwise manipulate things, of course. They might say something to the effect that the three South American countries hosting certain games in 2030 aren't actual "host countries," for example, and remain eligible to host in 2038. Sophistry, of course, to some extent, but would you put it past them to do that?

[hotdogPi]

New Zealand 2038