Beijing Olympic logo gets parodied on 'Net

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Internet pranksters have annoyed Olympic officials in Beijing by altering the logo for the 2008 Olympic Games to resemble public restroom signs.

The emblem, known officially as "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" was posted on a well-known sports message board that was not identified. The character for "Dancing" was replaced with a drawing representing "male" and the character for "Beijing" now looks like a woman in a skirt, the China Daily reported Friday.

The moderator of the message board told the China Daily that the drawings will not be removed from the site, arguing that the parody logos do not violate any laws.

A lawyer from Beijing Dadi Law Office said that the drawings do not violate any laws so long as no one attempts to use them for commercial gain. However, an official from Beijing's Olympic office, told the China Daily that the parody will tarnish the image of the city as it prepares to host the Olympic games.