VANCOUVER - It may not be a medal sport, but trademark protection is an integral part of the Olympics.

Just ask the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance, a non-profit group that has found itself in the sights of Canadian Olympic Committee trademark watchdogs over an application to register a six-year-old logo that features a torch and flame.

The COC has registered an objection to the CCHA's application and says it will withdraw its opposition only if CCHA agrees to certain conditions - including "not to claim or represent in any manner, directly or indirectly, an association with the COC, the Olympic Movement or the Olympic Games."

The six conditions, set out in a January 6 letter from a law firm representing the COC, are "ludicrous," said CCHA president John MacEachern, a retired restaurateur who had life-saving heart surgery as an infant and now spends his time raising awareness and funds for congenital heart disease.

He was particularly miffed by the condition that the CCHA not register its trademark in association with the promotion of sporting events.

"How are we to have a golf tournament, a walkathon or anything to raise funds?" Mr. MacEachern asked yesterday, speaking from his home in Nova Scotia.

The COC, however, says it's not being unreasonable and that it wants to work with the CCHA to resolve the issue, including Mr. MacEachern's concerns about sports events.

"We are prepared to allow this registration under a couple of conditions that we don't think are very onerous," said David Bedford, COC's executive director of marketing and communications.

The COC's main demand is that any appearance of the CCHA logo be accompanied by its "source designation" - that is, the name of the group it represents, Mr. Bedford said. Such a requirement is designed at preventing any confusion in the marketplace. Mr. MacEachern scoffs at that concern, saying the CCHA's logo - in which the flame is represented by an upside-down heart - looks nothing like any Olympic symbol.

The COC has never objected to the heart group's use of a torch logo over the past six years and has registered its opposition now only because the CCHA is trying to trademark the image, Mr. Bedford said.

The COC routinely monitors trademark applications and almost always objects to applications that involve a torch or flame.

"Now is the perfect time to see why," Mr. Bedford said. "We have companies trying to attach themselves to the Olympic brand and they have not acquired the right to do so. The Olympics is one of the strongest brands in the world. Companies pay tens of millions to have an association with this event. ... So it's important that we're diligent in protecting our trademarks."

In the runup to the 2010 Olympic Games, the Vancouver Organizing Committee was criticized for being heavy-handed about Olympic trademarks, most memorably by going after a mom-and-pop pizza restaurant for a sign that bore Olympic rings.

In recent months, the focus has shifted to "ambush marketing," as companies including Roots, Lululemon and Scotiabank unveil promotions that feature Olympic or sports themes.

Marketing experts have predicted that such campaigns will proliferate as the Games get under way.