Trademarks and Copyrights at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games

DecathaLAW Series 2026: Article 9

The Winter Games often bring a global audience in the billions. This large viewership underscores why everything viewers see on screen between graphics, music, uniforms, gear, and logos, carries real commercial value.

That commercial value is protected primarily through trademarks and copyrights. Trademarks protect the words, symbols, and designs that identify a source, so consumers know who made the product or sponsored the experience. Trademarks often protect brand names and logos used on goods and services. Copyrights, in contrast, protect original works of authorship such as audiovisual footage, music, graphic designs, photographs, and other creative expression fixed in a tangible medium. For example, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) holds a preregistration copyright for audiovisual footage of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, which serves as a placeholder for full registration and allows the IOC to sue for infringement before the work is finished or released. Most companies featured at the Olympics have likely pursued trademark or copyright protection in some form, for example, on a logo appearing on an athlete’s uniform, in an advertisement, or for a symbol used to represent an aspect of the Games.

Events at the Winter Games make trademarks nearly impossible to miss because winter sports are gear-intensive, and the camera constantly captures skis, poles, helmets, and goggles where logos are designed to stand out. Equipment brands, such as HEAD, Rossignol, and Salomon, are closely associated with elite alpine ski competition. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) even publishes alpine brand rankings, underscoring how visible and commercially meaningful equipment branding is in the sport. For example, HEAD, Rossignol, and Salomon all own registered trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for use on ski gear and related apparel that are frequently displayed by athletes at the alpine skiing events of the Winter Games.

Additionally, the IOC has its own intellectual property, known as the “Olympic Properties.” The IOC describes Olympic Properties broadly to include the Olympic symbol (the rings), flag, motto, anthem, official designations and identifications (including “Olympic” and “Olympic Games”), and creative works created in connection with the Games. The creative works often include emblems, mascots, posters, and pictograms that embody the identity and spirit set forth for the associated Games. Moreover, the IOC has already established an identity for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. In preparation, the IOC registered several trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For example, one trademark consists of the stylized number “26” in a gray-white color above the gray-white wording “MILANO CORTINA 2026” and the traditional Olympic ring symbol. The IOC notes that the stylized number “26” is meant to look as if it was finger-traced on a foggy window to capture the spirit of human expression, connection, and energy that serves as the inspiration for the 2026 Games. The IOC has also created animated mascots for the 2026 Games to bring the “contemporary, vibrant, and dynamic Italian Spirit” to life. The mascots include “two cheerful stoats” named Tina and Milo as well as six human-like snowdrops named “The Flo.” The IOC has also registered a trademark for “The Flo.” The mark includes a human-like character with a white flower on its head and the words “The Flo” in green above.

The IOC offers a guide to using Olympic Properties and is known to fiercely regulate the Properties’ usage. Hence, unauthorized users (i.e., non-licensees) of the Olympic Properties often find themselves on the wrong legal side of the IOC. While the IOC is very diligent with their Olympic Properties, the IOC does strike deals with brands, designers, and other companies to allow usage of the Olympic Properties for the creation of products and merchandise for the public to represent and support the Olympics. The 2026 Milano Cortina Games will mark the tenth time that Team USA partnered with apparel company Ralph Lauren for Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony outfits. Not only did Ralph Lauren outfit Team USA for the Ceremonies, but the Ralph Lauren Team USA Collection is available to fans for purchase online and in select Ralph Lauren retail stores in the U.S. and Italy. Fans can shop a lineup of coats, sweaters, hats, boots, and socks, all sporting Olympics and Team USA branding. Collaborations, such as the one between Team USA and Ralph Lauren, generate excitement around the Games and allow the public to participate in representing the Olympic Properties and supporting Team USA.

Copyright and trademark protection allows brands, fashion designers, companies, and the IOC to protect creativity and innovation in fashion, gear, and products seen at the Olympics. Without copyright and trademark protection, viewers may not see such unique designs or creative concepts, and fashion and gear may not be as unique and valuable.