And Turin officials have been vigilant in their campaign against infringement -- perhaps excessively so. At the Palavela, workers policed the stands of the figure- and short-track speed skating venue to ward off "ambush marketing" -- attempts by nonsponsor companies to sneak logos and brand names on TV for free advertising. The workers handed reporters swatches of black electrical tape to cover the logos of Dell Inc. laptops and told them to strip the labels off soda bottles or place them out of sight.
One man repeatedly unfurled a banner for Golden Palace.com, an online casino known for outrageous marketing stunts and Palavela workers had to ask him several times to remove it before he relented. The Antigua-based company declined to comment on the record about the stunt.