IP and Sports in Latin America (World IP Day 2026)

Ibo Puig Olivares

Trainee at the Latin America IP SME Helpdesk

This April 26th is World IP Day! WIPO – which organises the annual World IP Day – has announced that this year’s theme is “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate”.

Previous years have covered the topics of “IP and Music”, " Women and IP”, “Innovate for a Green Future”, or “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future”.

The theme (Sports and IP) aims to show how Intellectual Property is key to protecting and promoting the inventions, designs, brands, and stories that drive the world of sports, inspire athletes, and unite fans everywhere. This involves cutting-edge equipment, team identities, broadcasts of unforgettable sporting moments, and way more. 

In this context, intellectual property rights have been fundamental in transforming sport into one of the most powerful global economic sectors. A significant part of the revenue generated by the sports industry comes from IP-related activities such as broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals, and merchandising. Mega-events like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympic Games not only attract millions of viewers worldwide but also boost the economy of host countries, creating opportunities for investment, tourism, and employment. 

The World IP Day of 2026 has been chosen by WIPO as an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of IP in sport, especially in a year marked by the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As the most widely watched global event, it mobilizes all types of IP rights: trade marks, copyrights, image rights, etc. Because of the massive audience, companies seek to associate themselves with the event by making contracts. These agreements play a crucial role in helping companies generate income.

IP rights relevant in the sports sector
Patents play an important role in the sports sector by protecting technological innovations that improve performance and efficiency. These can include new materials for equipment, tracking devices, or advanced training technologies. By granting exclusive rights to inventors, patents encourage investment in research and development within the sports industry. This protection ensures that companies and organizations can commercialize their innovations without immediate imitation, contributing to continuous progress and competitiveness in the sports sector. 
Design rights protect the visual appearance of sports products, such as clothing, footwear, and equipment. In an industry where image and branding are crucial, the visual identity of a product influences consumer choice. By securing design protection, companies can prevent competitors from copying the distinctive look of their products. This is important in a market where fans often purchase products for their aesthetic and symbolic value, making design rights a key asset in maintaining exclusivity and competitiveness. 
Trade marks are essential in the sports industry as they protect names, logos, symbols, and even distinctive signs associated with athletes, teams, and events. Major sporting events and organizations rely heavily on trademarks to build global recognition and generate revenue through sponsorships and merchandising. Athletes also use trade marks to protect their personal brand, including their name, image, or signature gestures. Trademark protection helps prevent confusion among consumers and is crucial in fighting practices like ambush marketing, where companies try to associate themselves with events without authorization.

Copyright in the sports industry mainly applies to the recording and broadcasting of sporting events, which are treated as creative works due to the production effort involved. Camera angles, editing, commentary, and overall presentation add originality to these recordings, making them eligible for protection. This allows broadcasters and event organizers to control the use and distribution of their content through licensing agreements. 

Moreover, copyright is essential to tackle piracy, as unauthorized streaming or reproduction leads to significant revenue losses that could be invested into improving sports events.

To have a better understanding of all IPRs in Latin America, and IP and business, check out the IP Basics webpage.

IP and Sports broadcasting in Latin America

Live sports streaming platforms are experiencing significant growth, presenting a strategic opportunity for the future, with revenue projections higher than in previous years. Exactly, an annual growth rate of 13%. This development is driving an increasingly competitive market for the acquisition of licenses, generating benefits for all stakeholders. However, the proliferation of unauthorised broadcasts causes significant financial losses for the audiovisual industry, highlighting the need to implement effective measures against piracy.

Copyright regulations vary by country; however, in most Latin American countries, the right to authorize or prohibit the unauthorized recording of live broadcasts is recognized. It is essential to move towards the harmonisation of regulations to combat piracy, achieving similar standards across the Latin American region.

Contact us

If you have any doubts about how to benefit from any of these initiatives mentioned above, or want to internationalise to Africa, China, India, Latin America, or South-East Asia, and know more about IP protection before you go, don’t hesitate to contact the Latin America IP SME HDs.