Intellectual Property: it sparks worldwide creativity and innovation. Intellectual Property is a constitutional delegation, a traditional history in constant evolution. 

IP is the direct product of like-minded individuals — motivated creators helping the world as a whole grow and develop through the protection of rights and research. While IP is widely recognized to be necessary across all major industries to foster global innovation, its relevance within niche industries, such as the sports world, deserves equal attention.  

Inherent by its very nature, sport has the power to unite and inspire society at all levels. The study of sport captures the perfect blend of tradition and progression. At the click of a button or with a ticket in hand, one enters a world of innovation; a world whose sponsorship, merchandising, broadcasting, and equipment encapsulate the foundations of intellectual property. In leveraging intellectual property in sport, sports equip us with the tools necessary for continuous progression.

The modern sports industry requires an expansive, all-encompassing menu of IP rights. In fact, a single sports product is built by patents, trademarks, and copyright laws. Research-based innovative products coupled with strong patent protection have defined sport. Reciprocally, sport has defined intellectual property. Patents encouraging technological advancements result in better sporting equipment. Competition among sporting goods companies and athletes themselves fuel athletic elitism and technological brilliance. Team jerseys reflect design in its look, trademark in the team’s identity and the company’s reputation, and copyright through the artwork and logos. Moreover, from a statistical analysis, patents reveal sports trends and consumer interest. Recently, ball sports have emerged to the forefront – tennis and golf as its leaders.  

Take tennis for instance. In the 1800s, Wingfield patented the first tennis court, an hourglass-shaped portable tennis court. Ask any tennis player, and he or she will reveal loyalty to a specific brand of tennis rackets, maybe Babolat or maybe Wilson, but only to that brand. Yet both Babolat and Wilson patented the very product that the player champions, the specific patent defining identity and customer loyalty. Similarly, Hawk-Eye technology has become ubiquitous among modern professional tennis. 

Though traditions remain, modern innovation has enabled sports’ participants to achieve unimaginable athletic levels and to exercise continuous passion spurred through research-driven innovation. Innovation is only made possible with each other. 

Together, we are champions.