[ga] Olympic Hymn Complaint

[Sotiris Sotiropoulos <sotiris@hermesnetwork.com>]

In case any of you are wondering what this has to do with ICANN and domain 
names, I can assure you that it is quite relevant because "Olympic" domains 
are protected property on the Web.  Just try to register an Olympic domain 
with an American registrar or to transfer an "Olympic" domain to one.  If 
the "Olympic" domains are protected, then what about the content they 
display on such domains?

I have spoken with my legal counsel, and I am waiting to hear from the 
British Olympic Association.  I have edited my Complaint and reproduced it 
below.If you would like to express your support for my Complaint, please 
contact the British Olympic Association at boa@boa.org.uk

To persons of good conscience everywhere, I respectfully request that you 
distribute the following material to anybody anywhere who might be 
interested in it:

January 20, 2003

Without Prejudice.

A couple of years ago I translated the Olympic Hymn by Costis Palamas from 
Greek to English.  I thought the translation was rather good, even had some 
compliments. So, I sent the Athens Olympics Organizing Committee a copy.  I 
did not hear back from them.  Then, I contacted the IOC, they did respond 
after a few months.  A Marienne Chappuis from their Legal Department told 
me that the IOC was not currently in need of an updated translation of the 
Olympic Hymn.  Her exact words were "This is in follow-up to your 
correspondence to the IOC with respect to the new translation from Greek 
into English that you propose for the Olympic Anthem. Please note that, 
although the IOC has studied with much interest your proposal, the IOC 
still considers that the Official Translation of the Olympic Anthem is the 
one that was adopted in 1957." [I posted her exact initial message to an 
academic Classics list
http//omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu8080/hyper-lists/classics-l/01-12-01/0366.html 
plus I have copies of her messages] When I questioned her on what criteria 
the decision had been based, she repeated herself and didn't provide me 
with any details. Well, my translation with full credits can be found 
online at http//fp.gnosis.f9.co.uk/olympics/ (scroll to just before the 
bottom of that page or simply click on the anchor link to the Official 
Olympic Anthem (Greek & English)  The person who posted it on that page is 
completely unknown to me, I've never met them.  They borrowed the 
translation, with my permission, from a web page I maintain at 
http//greekwisdom.com/olympichymn.html

Interestingly enough (despite the snubs from the IOC and ATHOC), yesterday 
[Friday, January 17, 2003], BY ACCIDENT I discovered that the British 
Olympic Association is currently using my translation of the OLYMPIC HYMN 
on their web site (and who knows where else!), but they have NOT included 
my name as the translator, nor was I even informed!  To see the poem 
http//www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicmovement.asp [about 2/3 of 
the way down the page.]

One compelling proof that the translation belongs to me is a message I sent 
to the Classics-L mailing list which is docuemented here 
http//omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu/hyper-lists/classics-l/01-09-01/0217.html 
and another  signed with a digital certificate on Aug 7, 2001 which 
contains a copy of my original translation and which I subsequently 
modified only very slightly (changed the word "of" to "in" and I removed an 
"and" etc.) but it is recognizably my translation in its pre-final form. [A 
copy of the original digitally certified message containing the poem that I 
had sent to the publisher Aristide Caratzas on Aug 21, 2001 regarding my 
translation can be viewed at
https//maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/mgsa-l/2003-January/001347.html

The other gentleman, one Leon Leonidou, who had legally posted my 
translation to his website with my permission (mentioned above 
http//fp.gnosis.f9.co.uk/olympics/) had this to say when I sent him an 
email yesterday apprising him of the situation
----------------
Dear Sotiris

I had a look at their website and the translation they have there it is
indeed your translation. I can confirm what happened if I am asked to do so.
This is unbelievable!!!

Regards
Leon Leonidou
-----------------

A further example of evidence that it is my translation is the explanation 
I gave about my work when questioned about the translation after I had 
posted it to the Classics-L list on Wed Aug 08 2001 
http//omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu8080/hyper-lists/classics-l/01-09-01/0287.html

Now, yesterday (i.e. Friday, January 17, 2003, before I discovered the 
copyright violation by the BOA), I got a call from a man who identified 
himself as Philip Barker of Sky (Sports) Television UK.  He was interested 
in my translation of the Olympic Hymn, and he asked me why I thought the 
Hymn had been kept in obscurity for so many years, between 1896 and 1957 
when it was officially adopted by the IOC.  We had a chat, and when we 
disconnected, I just chalked it up to another interested party who had run 
across my translation (as it's happened before).

Now, I am truly appalled at the action of the British Olympic Association 
vis a vis my translation of the Olympic Hymn. Most especially when one 
considers how zealously the various official Olympic organizations champion 
the cause of their Intellectual Property.

Using an interesting facility called "The Wayback Machine" I have 
discovered the following regarding the British Olympic Association's 
webpages (specifically the contents of the page now found at
http//www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicmovement.asp that is, the 
page where they are currently displaying my uncredited translation of 
Costis Palamas' Olympic Hymn). Please go here to see what I mean 
http//web.archive.org/web/*/www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicmovement.asp

The first archived instance of the web page in question is from Jul 14, 
2001, and in the section "Olympic Hymn" it contains a different translation 
from the one currently displayed (i.e. my own). See 
http//web.archive.org/web/20010714052425/http//www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicmovement.asp

The second available archive instance is from Aug 05, 2001 and again, it 
does not contain my version of the translation but rather, it contains the 
same one as the preceeding 
date.  See 
http//web.archive.org/web/20010805185822/http//www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicmovement.asp

On Aug. 6, 2001 I sent the following message (containing my translation) to 
the Classics-L academic list 
http//omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu8080/hyper-lists/classics-l/01-09-01/0217.html 
As well, I have a copy of an email I sent to Mr. Isidoros at 
ioniccentre@hol.gr from Aug 6, 2001 which contains my translation.  Also, 
on Aug. 7, 2001 I sent a digitally certified email to the publisher 
Aristide Caratzas (as mentioned in my previous email) which contained my 
translation.  On Aug. 8, 2001 I responded onlist on Classics-L to questions 
about my translation from Dr. Rudolph Masciantonio.

The third referenced copy from the "Wayback Machine" archive of the same 
BOA web page from Oct 31, 2001 is unavailable.  See 
http//web.archive.org/web/20011031121141/http//www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicmovement.asp

The fourth archived instance of the same web page is from Feb 22, 2002, and 
it contains MY translation (without any credit to 
myself)!  See 
http//web.archive.org/web/20020222234751/http//www.olympics.org.uk/olympicmovement/olympicmovement.asp

So, my translation has been on their web site for about 1 year, for 
sure.  They replaced a previous translation with my own and didn't ask for 
my permission, nor did they properly identify my Interest in the Material.

What concerns me further is that if one does a Google or Yahoo or Altavista 
search on the terms "IOC Olympic Hymn", you will see that the number one or 
two ranking spots take you to my uncredited translation on *their* 
page.  This means that their site has achieved considerable search 
penetration and propagation and my rights as a producer have certainly been 
violated.  Repeatedly, to be sure.

I call on the British Olympic Association to right the wrong they have done 
to me.  If you would like to express your support for my Complaint, please 
contact the British Olympic Association at boa@boa.org.uk

Very Sincerely,


Sotiris Sotiropoulos
         Hermes Network Inc.
         Toronto, Canada
         416-422-1034 or 1-866-991-HOST
         http://hermesnetwork.com - Web Hosting & IT Services
         Established, Fast, Reliable.  Since 1998


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