IOC dismisses Tokyo logo dispute

The International Olympic Committee on Saturday denied there was a legal problem over clashing logos for the Tokyo 2020 Games and one for a Belgian theatre.

A Belgian logo which looks like the "T" for Tokyo design made for the Olympics does not have legal protection, according to IOC vice president John Coates.

"The IOC and Tokyo have checked all the copyright registers prior to this launch and that logo in Belgium isn't protected," Coates told a meeting of the Olympic leadership.

"But that does mean to say they don't have some intellectual rights in it," he added.

"We have looked at this design and we don't think we have a problem."

The Japanese logo unveiled last week has been criticised by Olivier Debie who designed a strikingly similar logo for a theatre in the Belgian city of Liege.

Debie's lawyer said he has sent a formal letter of complaint to the IOC. Japanese Olympic organisers insist though that all necessary checks were carried out before the logo was launched.