There is a very simple, but very expensive appeals procedure against trademark registrations, unfortunately its very easy to register a trademark as long as its not a generic name (in our trade someone once tried to register the work "time" in their trading name), but very expensive to dispute it, in our example it took a High Court action to suspend the trademark and then finally quash it.

Like Britain's libel tourism laws, trademark and patent law brings the law into disrepute. I mean, there are companies who try to claim proprietary rights in a particular shade of orange, for example, or ownership of a particular common-or-garden word. Just like megalith companies who crush fledgling competitors by massacring them in patent litigation.

And then there's the husband-and-wife catering business that has had two trailers at the Excel for a decade or so, being told that they can't have them there during the sporting event that shall not speak its name.

They have to store them somewhere else, at their own cost. And no compensation.

Just so crummy McDonalds can have a monopoly on selling their 'food'.

Someone remind me how this is benefitting the country – including small businesses.

Anyway what do we think of Danny Boyle's 'Green and pleasant land' opening ceremony?
Everything nice and air-brushed almost like propaganda.
I suppose it's the nearest we can get to what the Chinese do.

Having said that, I'll probably suspend reality and enjoy it.

It's not

Is that 500m under the revised budget of 9.8billion that was 4x the origianal estimate?

Think I'll try that when I'm shopping for a new TV later, sure the wife will accept such reasoning.

Plenty of it has lined peoples pockets, like the builders, the security, all the suppliers of building materials, the computer engineers...

Just because you haven't had a share don't deny those who have worked on the project theirs.

Oh personally, I'm perfectly happy for security companies that exploit free labour to benefit.

And 25,000 sponsors on a junket where they have road lanes all to themselves.

Now, my memory could be failing me, but I don't recall getting excited about getting the Games in the first place. But setting that aside, I've certainly never viewed it as something where I could expect to profit – or should. But that's entirely different from seeing people shafted in order for big business to profit.

I'd actually really love to just think it was a fab jamboree and great, but the more I hear, the more I'm getting really peeved about the whole affair.

that's just where you are wrong, I have worked on a number of aspects of the project.

I amore referring to the amount being paid to the senior managers/directers of LOCOG and the delivery authority, and how weighted some of the building contracts have been.

How late was Wembley? The work was done on time, for that they got their bonuses, bonuses that I know worked their way down to the guys on the site.

You sound quite bitter that you didn't have your nose in the trough.

Not at all (maybe you need to read the post and not the username)?

you on blocks today or something?

IIRC all contractors & sub-contractors working on the Olympic sites had to be registered for PAYE

No it was'nt. It was late and over budget. Seem to recall the story of Irish navvies working on Wembley, going into the local bookies and betting that the stadium would not be completed on time.