Protection of Intellectual Properties

Information

* Please refer to the Brand Protection for details on the use of Games-related intellectual properties.

Use of intellectual properties relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Games without any permission and/or in any unauthorised way is punishable by law.

All intellectual properties including emblems, logos and designations relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, are legally protected in Japan by the Trademark Law, the Unfair Competition Prevention Law and the Copyright Law.

During Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the national government of Japan pledged to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it would abide by the Olympic Charter and protect all Olympic-related intellectual properties.

The intellectual properties of the Olympic and Paralympic Games - the Olympic symbol (the five rings), the Paralympic symbol (agitos), emblems, mascots, pictograms, Games' titles, images, sounds, etc. - are managed according to the terms and conditions set forth in the Olympic Charter and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Handbook. Use of these intellectual properties for the Tokyo 2020 Games are managed by the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) and The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020). Permission must be granted by these organisations prior to use.

Examples of Intellectual Properties of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Tokyo 2020 Sponsorship Programme incorporates rights for Games' Sponsors to use these intellectual properties relating Olympic and Paralympic Games.As investments by Games' Sponsors contribute to more efficient administration and delivery of the Games and improvements in the international competitiveness of Japanese athletes, they are granted the right to use these properties.
Use of these properties without prior permission and/or in an unauthorized manner is known as "ambush marketing".
Ambush marketing activities result not only in a transgression of Olympic and Paralympic-related intellectual properties, but also in the reduction of sponsorship income. Such an outcome would have an extremely adverse impact on the administration and delivery of the Games and on implementing programmes aimed at improving the international competitiveness of Japanese athletes.

Your understanding and cooperation towards the protection of all Olympic and Paralympic-related intellectual properties and the prevention of ambush marketing activities are highly appreciated.