The Ministry of Commerce and Industry organized a celebration marking World Intellectual Property Day under the theme “Intellectual Property and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate,” held at the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of intellectual property and its connection to advancement in the sports sector, as well as fostering a legal environment that supports innovators and investors.
In his opening remarks, His Excellency Mr. Saleh Abdullah Al Manna, Assistant Undersecretary for Commercial Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, emphasized that the modern sports ecosystem is no longer limited to the competitive aspect alone, but is now built upon an integrated framework for the protection of intellectual property; he highlighted that qualitative investments in advanced sports technologies reflect a tangible integration between scientific research and practical application, reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to developing legislation and providing technical support to innovators in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030.
For his part, Mr. Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), shed light on the “invisible” dimension of the sports world, explaining in a recorded address that patents and design rights serve as the driving force protecting both technical and aesthetic innovations in stadiums, while copyright ensures the delivery of content to billions of fans worldwide, which in turn necessitates firm management of these intellectual assets.
In the same context, Dr. Jenan Kabbara, Regional Councelor for Intellectual Property in the French Republic, noted in her recorded remarks that intellectual property rights in their various forms, including trademarks and industrial design, are what enable creators to transform ideas into tangible realities that sustain the global development of the sports sector.
The event also featured performance segments by Al Wakrah Sports Club, along with a showcase of innovations including Qatar’s “stadium cooling technology” as a leading example of protected innovation, and concluded with a panel discussion bringing together a group of specialists to examine complex legal challenges arising from digital transformation, particularly with regard to exclusive broadcasting rights, trademark protection during major tournaments, and the alignment of local legislation with international standards to combat piracy and safeguard the rights of partners and investors.
