Sohu.com VP Chen Luming said: “If the IOC, Beijing Olympic partners and sponsors want to launch any Olympic-related marketing, they have to use Sohu. If they want to work with other online companies... they cannot use the Olympic logo.”
However, rivals argue it will create a monopoly on advertising and content. Tom.com is just one of the online rivals to have spoken publicly, with Zeng Fuhu, ironically a former Tom.com senior executive, reportedly labelling the claim “bogus”.
The Beijing Organising Committee’s legal team is believed to be working on clarifying the issue.
