London Rapped Over Olympic Sponsor Protection, Independent Says

Michael Payne, the man responsible for creating Olympic sponsorship programs, criticized organizers of London 2012 for “going too far” in protecting their sponsors, the Independent reported.

The enforcement of exclusivity rights risks damaging the games, Payne, a former marketing director for the International Olympic Committee, said in an interview with the U.K. newspaper.

“There is no question in my view that the controls and the protections have gone too far when it is starting to suffocate local street traders and I don’t think it’s necessarily what the Olympic sponsors are looking for,” Payne was quoted as saying.

Companies sponsor the games in return for exclusive rights to Olympic trademarks and guarantees that only their products are sold at Olympic venues.

To contact the reporter on this story: Agnieszka Troszkiewicz in London at atroszkiewic@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Harrison at mharrison5@bloomberg.net