Trouble in logo land

Due to a new rule enforced by the International Olympic Committee, Adidas will no longer be allowed to use its three-striped logo at the Olympic Games.

The rule states that all branded logos should not exceed 20 sq cm in size. During the last games in Athens in 2004, Adidas had been exempt from the rule. However, even its status as official sponsor of the Games does not spare it from the rule's enforcement at both the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and the 2008 Games in Beijing.

Adidas' argument that it had been allowed to use its logo for so long that it would be pointless to change it now held no sway with the IOC. Neither did its claim that the three stripes were not simply a logo but a basic element of design. The IOC told the Financial Times: "All manufacturers will be treated the same."