The "ongoing legal fight" between the Australian Olympic Committee and Telstra over the telecom's promotion of the Seven Network’s Olympics app "has come to an end with the Federal Court comprehensively rejecting the AOC’s appeal," according to Paul Wallbank of MUMBRELLA. Launched ahead of the 2016 Olympics and featuring Peter Allen's '80s song "I go to Rio," the Telstra campaign promoted the Seven Network’s streaming app despite the telecom "not being a sponsor of the sporting event itself." While Telstra "initially took the campaign down, it was reinstated some days later with modified wording." The AOC subsequently sued Telstra claiming the ads "deceived Australians." Despite the AOC losing the initial case and the Federal Court on Wednesday "rejecting all 10 of the AOC’s grounds of appeal while once again awarding costs to Telstra," the Olympic committee warned it will "continue to aggressively protect its rights in the courts" (MUMBRELLA, 10/25). In Sydney, Sarah Danckert reported the decision handed down by the Full Court of the Federal Court "could radically reshape corporate sponsorship of major events and have an impact on the AOC's financial position." It was Optus "that had paid millions" for the rights to be the team's telecom sponsor "after many years of Telstra holding that title." The full court agreed with Federal Court Judge Michael Wigney who, in regards to the Telstra-Samsung promotion, found "the only hint that the advertisements related in any way to the Rio Olympic Games is the 'I go to Rio' soundtrack" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 10/25).
