Indonesia "stands to lose its hosting of the 2018 Asian Games" because
its sports administrators have "refused to end a blatant
copyright violation," according to Ami Afriatni of the JAKARTA GLOBE. In a letter to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, dated Jan. 27, the
IOC warned that the "illegal use of the
Olympic rings" in the logo of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) could cost Indonesia the Asian Games. The IOC said that the logo "may only be used by a national member of the
IOC, which in Indonesia's case" is the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI). KOI Chair Rita Subowo said, "I've reminded the KONI to drop the five rings from its logo, which
it has used since 2013, because it constitutes a potential violation of
the IOC’s intellectual property rights. The worst-case scenario is the IOC suspending Indonesia's
participation in international sporting events [sanctioned] by the body.
It will be a major loss for our athletes." KONI officials, however, have taken a "characteristically obstinate
stance on the issue, arguing that the five rings were part of the logo"
designed in '06, after the '05 law stipulating the "split from the KOI" (JAKARTA GLOBE, 2/11). The AFP reported KONI Deputy CEO Manuel Robert Inkiriwang insisted that the body was the "official holder of the five rings logo copyright." Inkiriwang: "KONI has the legal right to use the logo." He added that KONI had abandoned the logo in '07 but "started using it again" in '14. The country's sports ministry said the government was "working to try and settle the issue" (AFP, 2/11).
