The Africa Cup of Nations 2013 has been officially designated as a ‘protected event’ in terms of the Merchandise Marks Act. This means the tournament organisers and official sponsors will be protected from ambush marketing schemes and will take legal action against third parties who engage in such actions. Attempts by a trader to connect itself with a sponsored event without paying sponsorship fees are considered ambush marketing. Kelly Thompson of Adams & Adams Attorneys based in Pretoria, says, “The designation of the event is protected in terms of the Merchandise Marks Act. This means that the protection goes further and it will be similar to what was seen at the FIFA World Cup.” “Business will also not be allowed to make indirect references to the event in their advertising such as promotions which allude to the event, directly or indirectly, like giving away tickets, running competitions referring to the event, handing out samples of the branded product at or near the event, those forms of ambush marketing will not be allowed,” says Thompson.
Niger and Mali have began their training camp.
With only four days to go before Afcon kicks off in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, various stakeholders have gathered in the city this morning to create awareness and encourage communities to buy tickets for Africa’s biggest soccer tournament. Executive Mayor Zanuxolo Wayile has assured stakeholders that the facilities are on track and security will also be tight around the stadium and hotels. Ghana, Niger, Mali and Democratic Republic of Congo are in group B and will are based in Port Elizabeth. Niger and Mali have began their training camp, whilst the other two teams will arrive this week.
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