Sports Intellectual Property in India: Trademark Registration, Broadcasting Copyright, and the 2026 Government Fee Exemption

India’s sporting economy has undergone significant transformation in recent years, extending far beyond the stadium. From the IPL’s billion-dollar media deals, a booming fantasy sports and sports-tech industry, to a new generation of athletes building their personal brands on social media. Over the years, it has become one of the most commercially substantial categories of intellectual property in India. Team logos, league names, athlete nicknames, jersey designs and footage of matches now carry real economic value and real legal risk as well if left unprotected. This article walks through the three pillars of the current landscape: trademark registration, branding of sports, copyright protection in broadcasting rights and the landmark 2026 government fee exemption that has enhanced incentives across the sector.

Why Sports IP Deserves its own Legal Conversation

Traditionally, sports law in India has been treated as an outcome of general commercial and entertainment law, but the sector has enough distinctive features to merit dedicated attention. For example, a sports league functions simultaneously as a brand, a broadcaster, an employer and a licensor. These are areas where disputes can arise if left unprotected. A single cricket season can lead to trademark disputes over team names, copyright issues over broadcast footage and contractual disputes over the rights of media. A dedicated Sports IP framework would strengthen legal certainty, protect commercial investments, safeguard athletes’ rights, and foster sustainable growth of India’s rapidly expanding sports industry.

A thorough understanding of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, the Copyright Act, 1957, and sector-specific instruments like the Sports Broadcasting Channels (mandatory sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, is essential for anyone building or investing in a sports business in India.

Trademark Registration in India: Protecting Sports Branding

For most sports entities – clubs, leagues, federations, athletes and equipment manufacturers – the trademark remains a single widely commercially important IP asset. Trademark registration in India typically covers:

• Team and league names
• Logos, emblems, and mascots
• Athlete names, nicknames and signature phrases
• Merchandise and apparel branding
• Event titles and taglines across sponsorship campaigns

Under the Trademark Act 1999, for a hassle-free registration, applicants should follow these steps carefully:

1. Identify Your Trademark Category

Trademarks in the sports industry vary widely. Choose the exact classes that match your business, such as:

Class 25: Sports apparel, athletic shoes, and jerseys.

Class 28: Physical sporting goods, gym equipment, balls, and protective gear.

Class 41: Sporting event management, organising tournaments, sports coaching/academies, and broadcasting.

Class 35: Retail, merchandising, and sponsorship services.

2. Conduct a Trademark Search

Before filing, perform a comprehensive check to ensure your name or logo is not already claimed for similar goods or services. It can be done by searching on IP India’s official public search portal.

3. File the Trademark Application

Once you have confirmed availability, prepare your applicationin which you will need to provide the following:

• The applicant’s exact name and address.
• Clear representation of the logo or wordmark.
• A definitive list of goods or services (e.g., sporting goods, specifically cricket bats).
• The proposed date of first use (or an ‘intent-to-use’ declaration if you haven’t started yet).

4. Examination and Registration

After submission, the governing IP office will examine the application for distinctiveness and potential conflicts. If it passes, it is published in the official trademark journal for public opposition. Thereafter, if no oppositions arise, the registration certificate is issued.

Sports Copyright and Registration in India

If a trademark protects the identity of the sporting product, copyright protects its content – and nowhere is it more valuable than in broadcasting. Sports copyright in India is firmly established but sometimes a misunderstood principle. Live sporting events themselves are generally not copyrightable as they are not ‘original works of authorship’; protection attaches to the broadcast production, i.e., the audiovisual recording, camera work, commentary, graphics, and editing that transmit a live match into a produced broadcast signal.

Under the Copyright Act, 1957, broadcasters hold a separate “broadcast reproduction right” (Section 37) that is different from the copyright a production house may hold in the recorded footage as a cinematographic work. This distinction matters enormously for broadcasting rights in India. When a league sells media rights to a broadcaster or streaming platform, that deal typically covers:

• Exclusive rights to produce or transmit the broadcast
• Rights to clip, archive and relicense highlights
• Digital and OTT streaming rights, often now separately from linear television rights.

The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 adds a public interest shield of protection specific to India: broadcasting of sporting events construed as of “national importance” must share the live signal with Prasar Bharati for free-to-air retransmission, ensuring access to a wider public where exclusive rights have been sold commercially. This creates a genuine Indian wrinkle in sports copyright law that right-holders and broadcasters must account for when structuring exclusivity clauses.

Piracy of live signals -through unauthorised streaming platforms and signal theft – remains one of the biggest challenges, especially when considering how quickly a live sporting event loses its commercial value once it has ended. Courts in India have increasingly granted dynamic and “rolling” injunctions during major tournaments, allowing rights holders to block a newly created piracy website in near real time instead of returning to court for each new mirror site.

Enforcement Challenges and Judicial Trends

Indian courts have been proactive in protecting sports IP. Dynamic injunctions are now commonly granted in piracy cases during major events like the IPL, allowing rights holders to block mirror websites in real-time. The interplay between exclusive broadcasting rights and the 2007 Mandatory Sharing Act continues to be litigated, as seen in disputes involving Prasar Bharati and private broadcasters. Stakeholders should also consider performers’ rights under Section 38 of the Copyright Act, 1957, particularly for athlete endorsements and image rights (often enforced via passing off or trademark law).

The2026 Government Fee Exemption: A Turning Point

The most significant recent development in this field came on 28-29 April 2026at the World Intellectual Property Day celebrations in New Delhi. The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, announced a three-year waiver of official government fees for all sports-related IP filings. The waiver effectively covers trademarks, patents, copyrights, industrial designs, geographical indications, and traditional knowledge registrations connected to the sports sector.

The announcement was made under the celebration of IP Day, whose theme was “IP and sports: Ready, set, innovate!” and was accompanied by facilitation support extended under existing government schemes to help innovators, students, artisans, and other stakeholders file and secure their IP rights.

The minister also highlighted the Kashmir willow cricket bat, which had secured geographical indication recognition in 2025, as an example of how sports manufacturing, craftsmanship, and regional identity intersect with IP protection. This signalled that the waiver is intended to support not just glamorous league branding but also grassroots manufacturing and equipment innovation across the sports economy.

Practically, this waiver removes what filing fees had long posed: a real financial barrier for athletes, startups, coaches, academics, and small manufacturers seeking formal protection.

The implications extend across the entire spectrum of sports Intellectual property:

• Trademark: Individual athletes and franchises, can register team names, personal brand marks and merchandise logos without the fee burden that previously discouraged smaller, unrecognised players from formal registration.
• Copyrights: Sports content creators, coaches producing training material, photographers, and digital media platforms can more affordably register copyright in original broadcasts, footage, and educational content directly relevant to broadcasting rights in India.
• Patents and designs: sports-tech innovators- wearables, smart equipment, performance tracking devices- gain a cost benefit at exactly the stage (early filing stage) where cash flow is tightest.
• Geographical indications: regional manufacturing traditions tied to sporting goods, e.g., the Kashmir willow precedent, may see renewed interest in formal GI protection.

What This Means for Stakeholders

For leagues and franchises, the waiver is an invitation to audit brand portfolios and close registration gaps before the exemption window closes. For athletes building personal brands, it lowers the cost of securing name and logo rights independent of any team or sponsor. For broadcasters and OTT platforms, sports copyright and the interplay with the 2007 mandatory-sharing regime remain the central commercial and legal battleground, waiver or not. And for equipment manufacturers and sports-tech startups, the combined patent and design fee relief creates a genuine window to formalise innovation pipelines that might otherwise have stayed unprotected.

Additional Practical Considerations

• Digital & Emerging Issues: With the rise of OTT platforms, fantasy sports, and sports-tech (wearables, performance analytics), consider data privacy (DPDP Act) alongside IP. NFT-based digital collectables and social media branding require careful trademark and copyright strategy.
• International Protection: Use the Madrid Protocol for trademark filings abroad and PCT for patents.
• Claiming the Fee Waiver: File through the IP India portal (https://ipindia.gov.in/). A formal notification from CGPDTM details eligibility; consult an IP attorney to ensure your application qualifies as “sports related.” Note that the waiver covers official fees only; professional drafting/opposition handling still incurs costs. Act soon, as the 3-year window will be reviewed afterwards.

CONCLUSION

As India’s sports industry continues to grow, the importance of Sports Intellectual Property has never been greater. It lies at the crossroads of commercial innovation, fan engagement, and legal protection. While trademarks preserve the identity of sporting brands, copyright secures the broadcasts and creative works that fuel the industry’s reach and value. The 2026 fee exemption creates a timely window; rights holders should audit portfolios and file promptly. Consulting experienced IP counsel can help navigate nuances, from dynamic enforcement to international expansion. By recognising the strategic value of intellectual property today, stakeholders can build sustainable brands and contribute to the long-term development of India’s rapidly expanding sports ecosystem.

Author Details: Vanshika Rai, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) Student, First Year, Amity Law School, AUMP, Gwalior

REFERENCES 

• Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Commerce & Industry. (2026, April 28). Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal Announces 3-Year Fee Waiver for Sports-Related IP Registrations on World IP Day, https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2256352
• The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 (Act No. 11 of 2007), https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/2076
• Geographical Indications Registry, IP India. Kashmir Willow Bat (Application No. 903, Certificate No. 677, Registered 31 March 2025), https://search.ipindia.gov.in/GIRPublic/Application/Details/903
• Trade Marks Act, 1999 (No. 47 of 1999).
• Copyright Act, 1957 (as amended).
• https://mybrandname.co.in/guide-trademark-you-games-sports-equipment/
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2256352&reg=3&lang=1