Skip to content
Saturday 22 August 2026London --:--Frankfurt --:--Zurich --:--
NewslettersSearchEN · DE · FR
MorningWire

European business, markets and politics

FTSE 100
10,816.56
+0.64%
DAX
26,136.56
+0.59%
CAC 40
8,484.43
+0.37%
STOXX 50
6,462.22
+0.63%
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Regulation
  • Politics
  • Opinion
More
GermanyFranceEU InstitutionsCompetitionPublic AffairsBankingTechnologyEnergy
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Regulation
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • DE
Wednesday 17 August 2016 2:34 pm

Brexit campaigners have infuriated Britain’s Olympians, and now they’re being threatened with a lawsuit

By: Mark Sands

Add as a preferred source on Google

The British Olympics Association has issued a legal threat to Brexit campaign group Leave.EU over use of Team GB trademarks.

In a letter to the Brexit campaign founded by Ukip donor Arron Banks, a Team GB lawyer said that Leave.EU had made "extensive" use of its trademarks, including Team GB imagery, in social media posts on Twitter and Facebook.

The lawyer demanded the campaign immediately remove posts featuring trademarked material, and confirm that it would refrain from making any further use of the BOA's intellectual property.

"We look forward to receiving urgent confirmation of the above, and trust that this matter can be resolved swiftly and amicably. In the meantime, we must reserve all of our rights," the letter said.

Read More: Arron Banks: Woolfe decision raises fundamental questions about Ukip

Responding to the threat, Leave.EU said that it had only sought to celebrate the successes of British athletes in the Rio games.

"We understand they're still pissed that the majority of people do believe in Britain and want us to succeed as an independent country outside of the crumbling EU, but to try and stop us promoting just how great we’re doing reeks of desperation," a spokesman said.

A Team GB spokeswoman said: "In some cases during the Games we have to speak to organisations about the misuse of our athletes and team's IP.

"In this case, given the scale of the use of our intellectual property without our consent, we contacted Leave.EU by email to request them to refrain from doing so. No legal action has been taken."

It comes after Olympic cyclist and double medal winner Callum Skinner yesterday slammed the campaign for using his image.

A fantastic effort so far by @TeamGB! We may be small, but we truly are Great Britain! #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/QuhFiD3i32

— Leave.EU (@LeaveEUOfficial) August 15, 2016

thanks the the support 😊 but I wish you wouldn't use my image to promote your campaign. 🇪🇺🇬🇧

— Callum Skinner (@CallumSkinner) August 16, 2016

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • News

Categories

  • Business
  • Politics

Trending Articles

  • House prices in wealthy London boroughs fall by up to £300,000

  • As it happened: FTSE 100 rallies after JD Sports drags on blue chips; oil jumps again

  • Mike Ashley’s Frasers offers to pay personal shoppers in Harvey Nichols takeover

  • Ratcliffe’s Ineos saves Runcorn plant

  • Amazon says it buys books in bulk to ‘improve products’

More from Morning Wire

  • Vodafone pushes into legal tech market to co-develop AI platform

    Legal
    Vodafone Group has announced the appointment of Microsoft's Pilar López as its new chief financial officer.
  • Lattice to Deliver Keynote at 2026 OCP Global Summit

    Business Wire
  • How sevens and Olympics can be commercial rugby lifeline

    Sport Business
    Smiling athlete in white jacket holding a gold medal, reaching out to cheering fans in a stadium.
  • Meet the top lawyer challenging Gianni Infantino’s Fifa power play

    Law
    Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, waves to a crowd with a blue and gold patterned background
  • Xsolla Partner Network Expands Verified Creator Partnerships and Unifies Campaign Management Ahead of gamescom 2026

    Business Wire
  • Rehlko Defines What It Takes to Build AI-Ready Power Infrastructure as Data Center Energy Demands Evolve

    Business Wire
  • Cloudflare Gives Companies Full Visibility to Audit & Analyze AI Use

    Business Wire
  • Cloudflare OS Is the First AI Workspace Built Around How Companies Actually Work

    Business Wire
MorningWire

Independent European business, markets and political news for decision-makers.

Morning Briefing

Europe

  • Germany
  • France
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe

Business

  • Markets
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Regulation
  • Competition
  • Public Affairs

Editorial

  • Opinion
  • Editorial Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Company

  • About Morning Wire
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 Morning Wire Ltd · Published by Morning Wire Media, Bahnhofstrasse 65, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Privacy · Terms · Cookies · Facebook