We live in a world where the world copyright and trademark get thrown around so frequently that we don’t even know what it means anymore. This can be problematic when we are faced with new information.
When met with something new, we sometimes don’t notice everything at once. For example, many online sportsbook newcomers don’t know that they can use a sign up an offer like Betfair Sign up Offer when they are starting out.
It is important to be informed before you step your foot into the unknown. Trademarks in sports are an interesting topic that covers a lot of ground. Here are the essentials and everything you should know about trademarks in sports.
What Are Trademarks in Sports?
Firstly, trademarks in sports are just like trademarks in any other industry and business. You can file for something to be trademarked, from a specific phrase or logo, in order to keep some intellectual property safe from other people’s hands and businesses. Your profit will be your own, whenever the said trademarked material is used.
In sports, that can be anything from a logo to a name or acronym or abbreviation, whatever is tied to a team or athlete. It works in a similar fashion to regular trademarking, though it is obviously tied to sports.
Why Should Sports Use Trademarking?
The simple answer is profit. When you trademark something, the rights to use and reuse that something belongs to you. If a team is very popular and they expect to earn more money from their brand, they should trademark whatever they think will end up earning them that money.
However, this doesn’t only have to do with sports teams and athletes, but also with events. Events garner a lot of money as well. Every event has its own logo, particularly if it is an international event that takes place biannually or quadrennially. The FIFA World Cup always has an interesting logo, and all of them are trademarked.
Merchandise
Sports merchandise often features logos and brand names, which is why it needs to be trademarked, in order to keep the profit going where it should be going. Sports teams trademark their logos and other things associated with them, to make sure that they can profit from their own merchandise, as well as to ensure that others cannot earn money from their hard work. Likewise, this can be applied to sports events, as well as individual athletes.
Sponsorships
Sponsorships are frequently used to protect the rights of both the athlete and the sponsor involved. On the sponsor’s side of things, they make sure that the branding is done right and that other brands don’t make copycat products. Typically, these deals are good for the athlete in question, even more so if they have a good brand.
Is It Worth It?
It is most definitely worth it if you can see the world using the phrases and slogans, logos and other designs that you might trademark. Historically, athletes have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars simply because companies and broadcast networks used trademarked content.
Trademark and copyright laws in sports work the same as they do in any other industry. Athletes and teams trademark logos and slogans frequently, to make sure that they earn money from their own intellectual property.