The well-respected Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), one of the country's leading advertising organisations, has announced that it is concerned that Scottish businesses, other than official sponsors, may be prevented from associating themselves in any way with the 2014 Commonwealth Games, if Scotland wins the bid to host the event.
The IPA released the following press release to reinforce its concerns:
The IPA has submitted a response to the Scottish Executive on the draft Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill to voice its concerns that it will prevent any local business, other than the official sponsors, from associating themselves in any way with the 2014 Games.
If Glasgow do win the opportunity to host the Commonwealth Games an 'associated right' within the Bill proposal, which is similar to that of the London Olympic 'association right', will:
- Limit genuine freedom of commercial expression.
- Set yet another unfortunate precedent for other major events to do the same, which once again will have a serious and negative effect on business, advertisers, agencies and fair competition.
- Give even more power to event holders, which will also lead to price increases for official sponsors so that they, as well as those who will never be able to become official sponsors, are worse off.
- Unfairly prevent smaller businesses from legitimately benefiting from the Games, even though promoters of the event have emphasised the benefits to the region.
- Greatly extend existing law that already offers rights holders considerable protection.
Says IPA Legal Director, Marina Palomba, "Scottish businesses may well be surprised, if not outraged, at not being able to refer to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. London businesses are already up in arms about not being able to say 'come to London in 2012', and we, at the IPA, firmly believe that Scottish firms should be concerned that they too will be prevented from referring to this major event before the principle is endorsed in statute."
Looks like the only people in the country who will actually be able to benefit from the city hosting the Games [
if Glasgow actually wins] are the huge companies and the mega-rich... just another example of how the city's leaders are prostituting the assets of the people of Glasgow to those who wish to exploit the city's rich heritage and ensure the people of Glasgow get poorer in return!.
gL.
