World Intellectual Property Day 2026: when sports and innovation meet on the legal field
On April 26, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) celebrates how intellectual property rights sustain the sports economy—and what that means for businesses and creators in the Dominican Republic.
Every time an athlete wears their team’s uniform, every time a fan tunes in to watch a game, and every time a sports brand launches high-performance footwear, there is a legal system quietly working behind the scenes to make it all possible. That system is intellectual property (IP).
Under the theme “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate,” WIPO dedicates World Intellectual Property Day 2026 to exploring how IP protects the inventions, designs, brands, and stories that drive the global sports industry. The central message is clear: sport is not just competition—it is an industry fueled by innovation, and its legal protection is essential for its continued development.
Sport as an intellectual property ecosystem
WIPO emphasizes that sport does not exist in isolation. It intersects with fashion, media, technology, health, video games, and consumer goods. Each of these touchpoints generates intangible assets that, without proper protection, may be exposed to copying, misappropriation, and loss of economic value.
The main IP tools applied to sports include:
Patents
Innovation in sports equipment, technical materials, and performance technologies is protected through patents. From the composition of a high-performance sole to sensors embedded in a helmet, patents ensure that those who invest in research and development can recover that investment in the market.
Trademarks
The identity of a club, federation, league, or athlete has its own commercial value. A name, logo, and distinctive colors are brand assets that, when properly registered, allow for product licensing, sponsorship attraction, and protection against unauthorized use.
Copyright
Television and digital broadcasts of sporting events, sports photography, and audiovisual content surrounding sports are protected by copyright. Unauthorized retransmission of a game is not a minor issue—it is an infringement with real legal consequences.
Industrial designs
The aesthetic of a uniform, the silhouette of footwear, or the shape of a ball can be registered as industrial designs, protecting them from imitations that seek to benefit from the reputation of the original brand.
Trade secrets
Training plans, sports nutrition formulas, and performance strategies are confidential assets that, when protected through non-disclosure agreements and appropriate measures, become legally supported competitive advantages.
The Dominican dimension: a market with assets to protect
The Dominican Republic has a deep connection with sports, and that relationship generates intellectual property assets that often do not receive the legal attention they deserve.
Baseball is the clearest example. The country is a major exporter of talent to Major League Baseball, with academies that train players from a young age. Within this ecosystem circulate image rights contracts, rights over athletes’ names, trademarks for academies and minor leagues, and sponsorship agreements—all legal instruments that require careful structuring and registration to maximize their value.
This is compounded by the issue of illegal streaming, which WIPO explicitly addresses in its 2026 campaign. Unauthorized retransmission of sporting events—a widespread practice in the region—constitutes a direct violation of the copyright held by licensed broadcasters, with significant economic impact across the entire sports value chain.
Finally, the growing interest from investors in sports infrastructure, international events, and franchises in the region raises legal questions regarding licensing, exploitation rights, and the distribution of intangible assets—issues that should be addressed before any agreement is finalized.
Protect today to compete tomorrow
World Intellectual Property Day is an opportunity for companies, athletes, sports organizations, and investors to assess their intangible assets. The question is not whether they have intellectual property to protect, but whether they are actually protecting it.
At Pellerano & Herrera, our Intellectual Property team supports clients in the registration, management, and defense of their IP assets in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean region, with experience in trademarks, copyright, industrial designs, and advisory services on licensing and technology transfer agreements.
If your organization operates in the sports sector or holds intangible assets that have not yet been formally protected, now is the time to act.