] The International Olympic Committee is barring ] competitors, as well as coaches, support personnel and ] other officials, from writing firsthand accounts for news ] and other Web sites. ] ] To protect lucrative broadcast contracts, athletes and ] other participants are also prohibited from posting any ] video, audio or still photos they take themselves, even ] after the games, unless they get permission ahead of ] time. (Photos taken by accredited journalists are allowed ] on the personal sites.) Now this is a little scary. I mean, sure it stupid, and destroys an avenue that could get more people interested in the games. However, they did agree to those terms to compete in the olympics. What is interesting is how this could apply to spectators of events. The MPAA citied the increased use of technology to spread bad news reviews about a movie as a reason for decline in movie sales. How soon before the fine print on the back of a ticket (you know the stuff that says you are taking your life in your own hands, and if a hockey puck hits you in the mouth you're hosed?) includes a ban on reporting for X number of hours? Not that anyone would respect it, but its a thought. |