But first ... let's get to know a little bit more about this year's
World Intellectual Property Day and WIPO
World Intellectual Property Day:
REACH FOR GOLD. IP AND SPORTS
INTRODUCTION
Αs you know, April 26, 2019, we celebrate the World Intellectual Property Day dedicated to the Sports Industry and the valuable impact of IPR as those have become a major source of revenue for the sports industry. Copyright, trademark, the right of publicity, and even patent have been successfully invoked to permit individual sports teams and the leagues and associations to which they belong to capture more and more revenue from their fans...for example broadcasting rights have enabled the operators of teams and competitions to play before spectators who are not physically present.
Teams & leagues enter into lucrative licensing agreements for their logos and trademarks with a wide variety of manufacturers of consumer products, and athletes continually find new ways to capitalize on their image and publicity rights.
For this reason, it is important to see the impact of IPR in the commercialization of sports, as Intellectual property rights (IPR) are assets used also as marketing tools toward the branding of games and connected events, sports clubs, teams, celebrity status, etc., and as the competition grows, grows also the need to protect individual and team interests in order third parties do not unfairly use their reputation. Every aspect of intellectual property (IP), from trademarks, personality rights, copyrights, design or patents, form the spine of the commercial sports industry, and that require protection in order to avoid any complications such as various acts of infringements of IP, unauthorized use of IP, etc
Few of the legal issues that can arise in the sports industry, for example:
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infringement of trademarks,
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brand abuse,
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misbranding,
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misuse in bad faith,
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using the name of a sports personality without permission or without paying any license fee or royalty,
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copyright infringement with regard to the copyrighted merchandise,
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sports equipment,
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the artwork in the logo,
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without license broadcasting,
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piracy in audiovisual recordings,
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infringement in promotional material used,
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use of copyrighted software without license or royalty
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infringement of design,
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use of design without a license,
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use of design for promotion of other goods;
and in case of patents....the use of patented technology without authorization from the owner of the patent.
Those problems can lead to
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damage of goodwill,
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unfair trade practice,
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unfair competition,
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commercial disputes and ultimately lead
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to huge commercial losses which would defeat the principal purpose of exploring the commercial aspect of the sports industry.
CELEBRATING THE WORLD IP DAY IN GREECE.
ESIMET- The Trademark Companies Association for the protection and the development of IP rights organizes under the accreditation of The Hellenic Republic Region of Central Macedonia, Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and INdustry, Hellenic Copyright Property Organization, and other authorities a 2 days Congress. View the program here
For the first time, Greece will celebrate the WORLD IP DAY with a two [02] days Congress decided to the Sports Industry and the issues mentioned above. BUT as the year 2019 is considered the preamble of 2020 where the major athletic manifestations are taking part, such as the Olympic Games of TOKYO 2020, UEFA 2020, FIFA Futsal 2020 - Lithuania, we will honour this particular sector, not only of the Olympic games but also football that faces many challenges in this IPR field.
But before we tell you more, click the and enjoy the trip!
ABOUT WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION
WHAT WIPO DOES
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency dedicated to the use of intellectual property (patents, copyright, trademarks, designs, etc.) as a means of stimulating innovation and creativity.
WIPO mission - as it is written in the official website - is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international intellectual property (IP) system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. WIPO's mandate, governing bodies and procedures are set out in the WIPO Convention, which established WIPO back in 1967.
WIPO - WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION helps governments, businesses and society realize the benefits of IP.
As it is written in WIPO's official website, Wipo provides
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a world reference source for IP information
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cooperation and capacity-building programs to enable all countries to use IP for economic, social and cultural development;
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technical infrastructure to connect IP systems and share knowledge;
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global services to protect IP across borders and to resolve disputes;
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a policy forum to shape balanced international IP rules for a changing world;
BUT WHY APRIL 26? WHAT WORLD IP DAY IS?
The world intellectual property day was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in order to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact our lives and how can positively impact the global economy. This day, we celebrate the creativity of the creators and innovators and their impact across the globe.
26 April is not just a simple date on our calendar. April 26, was chosen as this was the date on which the Convention Establishing the WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force.