NEWS

Postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games to keep Tokyo 2020 trademark for merchandise and licensing partners

Published on: 30th March 2020

The postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 are to maintain their trademarked names in a bid to alleviate concerns around merchandise and licensing partnerships, despite the event being moved to 2021 amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The International Olympic Committee and the 2020 Games’ host nation, Tokyo, reached the decision last week to postpone the global events scheduled to take place this summer as the world continued to deal with the ongoing issue of the coronavirus.

The weighty decision was the subject of much speculation in the weeks leading up to the announcement, as it faced major reluctance to not hold the Olympics and Paralympic Games in Tokyo this year. The move has marked an unprecedented course of action as this is the first time in its 124 year modern history that the Olympic Games has been delayed.

The games have before been cancelled altogether in 1916, 1940 and 1944 during World War One and World War Two.

Among the many elements surrounding the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be affected by the decision, of course, are its many merchandise and licensing partners now in various stages of development, production, and distribution of the official Tokyo 2020 consumer products.

A spokesperson from the IOC told Licensing.biz that while conversations with licensees have only just started, what is known is that the Games “will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, so that the trademarks are not changed.”

“We are, of course, working in close collaboration with all of our licensees to ensure the success of their respective collections launch,” they said.

“As you certainly know this is an unprecedented situation and the first time in Olympic history that the Games will be postponed.”

The IOC intends to keep the industry updated on developments.

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