Creating Value in the Sport Industry: The Role of IPRs

The sports industry has a growing impact on the world economy in creating jobs, investing in public infrastructure and mobilizing resources. An important component of this is generated through IP-protected activities. The main purpose of IP rights is to encourage more technological innovation and creativity by making sure that inventors and creators get a fair reward for their work and can earn a living from it.

IP based innovation and technology are driving the sport industry. In recent years, the role of ICTs in advancing sport development has been very prominent. Sports today use increasingly complex technologies to enhance performance and media technologies are playing an ever more important role in the ongoing progression of skills among athletes. The 2016 Rio Olympic Games for instance were considered the most digitalized Olympic Games in history since it brought innovation and technology to advance the digitalization era of sports. More and more sports organizations are experimenting with innovative technologies such as virtual reality (VR) to improve player performance and offer fans a more intense, immersive viewing experience with unprecedented new perspectives on sports action.  

Broadcasting organizations are also constantly investing in new business models and technologies that bring fans to the sports field without having to leave the comfort of their home. Live sports broadcasts have been a particular target for unauthorized retransmission on the internet, often through peer-to-peer file-sharing technology that acts as a conduit for users to share content. It’s not just professionals and their sponsors who derive benefits from the intellectual property system, it’s all of us as sport fans.

For the first time, during the WSIS Forum 2019, a new track will be introduced on Sport as an enabler of Sustainable Development highlighting the aspects of youth empowerment and innovative technologies. This session will also coincide with 2019 World Intellectual Property Day celebrated on April 26 which will have for theme “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports”.

Objective

This session will take a closer look at how intellectual property (IP) rights – patents, trademarks, designs, copyright and related rights ­– support the global sports ecosystem from sport federations to athletes and sport fans. It will explore how innovation, creativity and the IP rights that encourage and protect them support the development of sport and its enjoyment around the world through notably technological innovation.

Within the setting of the WSIS Forum, the panel will reflect on the unique sport landscape, one that brings together multiple players with overlapping interests. The panel will highlight the aspects of creativity and innovative technologies in the form a multistakeholder discussion, information exchange and sharing of best practices.

This panel will also consider the perspective of governments and the development of national IP based strategies to maximize the potential of sport to contribute successfully to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.