Screenshot taken on Aug. 1, 2015 shows an online media report on resemblance between the logo of Theatre de Liege (L) and that of Tokyo 2020 Olympics. (Xinhua Photo)
BRUSSELS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Belgian graphic and logo designer of the Theatre of Liege, Olivier Debie, plans to sue for plagiarism against the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, the Belgian media have reported.
The similarity between the emblem of the Tokyo Olympics officially unveiled a few days ago and the one of the Theatre of Liege sparked controversy in Japan and also the indignation of the Belgian designer, the Belga news agency reported.
"It is impossible to prove whether there is plagiarism. Maybe the Japanese designer (Kenjiro Sano) envisioned a similar logo without realizing it ... even if the similarity of drawing based on identical geometric is flagrant... and with the same typography imposed at the time by the Theatre of Liege," Debie was quoted as saying in the report.
The director of the Theatre of Liege reportedly said that the resemblance between the two logos causes a commercial damage to his establishment.
Lawyers for Olivier Debie and the director of the Theatre announced that they will inform the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese Olympic Committee of the alleged plagiarism of the Japanese graphic designer Kenjiro Sano.
If the two Olympic committees do not react, legal action will be considered by lawyers, the report said.
The logo of Belgian graphic, created in 2011 for a competition organized by the Theatre of Liege, was formalized in 2013.
According to a statement of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, the logo and its design before being selected have been through verification, particularly abroad, thanks to a "strict and transparent" procedure.
