World Intellectual Property Day on April 26, 2026 provides a timely lens through which to examine the increasingly complex role that intellectual property (IP) and commercial rights play across the sports industry. Far beyond traditional questions of trademark, copyright, patent, and design protection, the modern sports ecosystem is shaped by layered rights and contractual structures governing athlete branding, sponsorships, media distribution, data, venue technology, and emerging artificial intelligence (AI)-driven uses.
From naming rights and broadcast arrangements to name, image, and likeness (NIL), wearable technology, and performance data, IP now sits at the center of how value is created, allocated, and monetized across leagues, teams, athletes, sponsors, broadcasters, and technology providers. These issues are no longer limited to protecting discrete assets in isolation but instead require coordinated legal and commercial strategies across increasingly interconnected relationships.
For organizations operating in the sports sector, this evolving landscape raises important considerations around ownership, control, licensing, enforcement, and commercialization, particularly as digital distribution models and new technologies continue to reshape the industry.
In a recent Insight, partners Dana Gross and Don Shelkey examine the IP and commercial infrastructure underlying the business of sports and explore how these issues arise across venues, event operations, athlete rights, media and streaming arrangements, sponsorship structures, and sports equipment and technology.