Dunedin businesses have so far avoided fines of up to $150,000 for breaching Rugby World Cup advertising rules.
Council rugby world cup co-ordinator Sandy Graham said "well over" 100 businesses in Dunedin - as well as sports clubs, schools and community groups - had been spoken to by council staff about their tournament plans.
That had resulted in changes - ranging from the re-wording of fliers and signs to the removal of miniature Webb Ellis Trophy images from sausage sizzle stands - but no fines or enforcement action, she said.
Many of the contacts came after businesses decided to check their advertising plans with council staff before the tournament began, she said.
"We would listen to their advertising jingle, or have a look at the proof of their signs or their fliers, just to check that they weren't breaking any rules."
None had been told to scrap their plans, but some had been told changes were required to comply with legislative requirements, she said.
That included a jingle mentioning the Forsyth Barr Stadium, changed to instead refer to Otago Stadium - the venue's clean name during the tournament - and a high school sausage sizzle with miniature Webb Ellis Trophy images on it, which were removed, she said.
"We didn't tell anyone 'no you can't do that' ... We always found a solution."
The council was required to carry out rights protection duties as part of the host city agreement signed with Rugby New Zealand 2011, she said.
A team of 10 council staff focused on enforcing the city's bylaws and district plan, particularly within the tournament's clean zones on match days, as well as around the city at other times, she said.
That included a "roving" team and a "rapid reaction team" able to be scrambled to problems areas if required, she said.
They worked alongside teams of Ministry of Economic Development staff, who were responsible for enforcing the Major Events Management Act, she said.
The Act was introduced in 2007 to cover the rugby tournament and other significant events, and placed "guidelines" around, for example, words that could be used on signs or other forms of advertising, she said.
That meant signs outside bars could mention rugby, but not Rugby World Cup 2011, to avoid implying they were official sponsors of the tournament.
"They could say 'rugby'. There was no problem with them saying 'come and watch the game after the rugby'. They couldn't say 'Rugby World Cup 2011'," Ms Graham said.
"There was the odd issue, but none of them were difficult."