[Commons-Law] UEFA's IP Gestapo ...

[Patrice Riemens]

In Le Monde Diplomatique of this month (june), a fairly hilarious piece on
how the Europ. Football federation (UEFA) is 'robustly' enforcing its
'intellectual property rights' (basically on anything and everything even
remotely connected with 'football'). Small shopkeepers lost in the Engadin
or Appenzell InnerRhoden get sued, and three restaurants in Basel who
happen to be situated in the 'Fan-zone' and refused to sell the 'EU2008'
brand of beer (the green & yellow horsepiss made in DK) together with
paying the exorbitant franchise rate (1-5K /day) got themselves isolated
thru a Berlin wall contraption so you could only reach them from outside
of the zone ...

Together with "Apple sues kids writing letters to the company" (WIRED,
march issue's article on Steve Jobs), that was favorite 'IP dystopia' item
for this month...