US Olympic committee bullying unofficial sponsors who use hashtags

USOC sent letters to companies that don't have a commercial relationship with them, warning use of #TeamUSA and #Rio2016 is stealing intellectual property

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has been using legal bullying tactics to try and prevent companies that aren't official sponsors of the Games from using "official" Twitter hashtags such as #TeamUSA and #Rio2016.

Over the last few weeks, the USOC has sent letters to companies that sponsor athletes but don't have a commercial relationship with the USOC or the International Olympic Committee, warning them against stealing intellectual property.