The World Economic Forum (WEF), which organises its annual meeting in the Swiss town of Davos, has taken steps to protect its Davos brand ‘against illicit appropriation’.
The WEF has issued a statement outlining its objections to the use of the Davos brand for events that have nothing to do with its own activities.
The announcement comes as the world’s media speculate on the future of the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia, following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The government-supported Saudi event, which was subjected to a cyber-attack earlier today (22 October), reportedly marketed itself as ‘Davos in the Desert’.
The WEF said it will ‘use all means’ to protect the brand against illicit appropriation in conjunction with the City of Davos.
“Any use of ‘Davos’ for another event can only lead to confusion and may mislead the public, members of the World Economic Forum and the media as it may imply that the World Economic Forum is responsible for, or part of, that event,” read the statement.
The Future Investment Initiative summit has seen a number of chief executives pull due to the Saudi government’s unclear involvement in the Khashoggi murder. The Washington Post reported that bosses from Uber, HSBC, Siemens, BlackRock and JP Morgan Chase have all withdrawn their attendance.