The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) recently engaged in a flurry of strong-armed enforcement actions against local businesses that it claims infringe on the USOC’s trademark. That included local commodities broker Chris Reilly of Olympic Asset Management in Port Orchard.

Under federal law, most businesses are prohibited from using “Olympic” in their name or advertising if there is a chance of confusion that the company is affiliated with, or sponsored by, the USOC.

Numerous businesses on the Kitsap Peninsula, use the name “Olympic.” The Qwest directory alone lists 79 separate companies in its white pages — and that doesn’t include those on the Olympic Peninsula. Many of them, including Olympic Asset Management, received letters from the USOC threatening legal action if the name was not changed.

According to Reilly, working with attorney, Stuart Phillips, Olympic Asset Management was able to fit within a loophole to the law. The same loophole should fit most other local businesses as well. If the business is located west of the Cascade Mountain Range and conducts substantially all of its business in Western Washington, and if there is no substantial likelihood of confusion with the Olympic Committee, the business does not have to change its name.

After discussions with the USOC Olympic Asset Management, was allowed to keep its name, and only required to post a disclaimer on its website.

Reilly suggests other Kitsap “Olympic” businesses check to see if they fall under the exemption before they spend money complying with a law that may not even apply to them.