An Arcadia pub owner's enthusiasm for the 2010 Soccer World Cup has
landed him in hot water with Fifa.
The international football association sent a letter to Eastwood's Entertainment
Lounge owner Kobus Oosthuizen asking him to remove a sign and banners
saying "World Cup 2010" from the front of his business.
The letter, signed by Fifa head of legal affairs Tom Houseman, said Fifa
had registered its trademarks and logos under laws of intellectual property
to protect its marketing rights for the soccer event and safeguard its
long-term ability to attract sponsorship.
'Extremely expensive'
"Furthermore, Fifa benefits from a wider scope of protection in South
Africa under national laws protecting sponsored events.
"This means that you are not permitted to use the words 'World Cup
2010' and '2010 - Twenty Ten South Africa' for commercial purposes,"
it said.
Oosthuizen said he did not know he had infringed any copyright laws. He
said he put up the signs in January because there was no platform in Pretoria
to advertise the city as a favourable destination for the World Cup.
"It was my initiative to display signs saying that the World Cup
is coming to South Africa. We are a proud business and wanted to promote
the event.
"There is no programme from the council to market this area as a
tourist destination and there is no forum to get involved in. We must
market Pretoria as a destination to get the atmosphere ready for 2010,"
he said.
Oosthuizen said he would comply with Fifa's regulations and procedures
to get accredited. "I am not saying to hell with Fifa; I want to
be a part of this event and will ask Fifa what I should do," he said.
The Fifa letter said the event was already one of the best publicised
to take place in South Africa.
It said the World Cup would be "extremely expensive" to organise
and the costs for the event would be carried mostly by Fifa.
"The successful staging of the World Cup is only made possible by
the significant investment made by Fifa's sponsors and licensees.
"In consideration for the valuable contribution made by these companies,
Fifa grants them exclusive right of association with the 2010 Fifa World
Cup, including use of Fifa's trademarks for the event.
"If this exclusivity is not respected, there is a risk that Fifa
will fail to attract the necessary sponsorship. This in turn jeopardises
the ability of Fifa to organise this event and its other football programmes
at all levels, thereby disappointing fans and participants all over the
world," the letter said.
Tshwane Tourism Association (TTA) chairman Reynold Thakhuli said: "Where
the event is staged people are not allowed to use the World Cup as a marketing
tool.
"That is because companies put a lot of money into the event and
they have rights to use 'World Cup 2010'.
"It is known worldwide that he (Oosthuizen) is not allowed to do
that," he said.
Thakhuli said it would be up to Fifa to decide when to start advertising
the World Cup, adding that it was very regulated.
But he said this did not stop Oosthuizen from being part of a tourism
portal that Fifa has access to. "He can register his business at
a portal and get involved with tourism associations.
"The TTA has a tourism master plan for 2010 and beyond, which includes
a steering committee to deal with accommodation, safety and security.
"We are developing a tourism portal where tourists have access to
information," he said.
The Tshwane Metro Council was approached for information about its plans
for 2010, but failed to respond.
By Barry BATEMAN. ,
December 15 2006 .
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