Editor’s Note: This month marks the celebration of World Intellectual Property Day 2026, an annual international observance established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to spotlight the role intellectual property plays in fostering creativity, innovation and economic growth. This year’s theme places IP at the center of the global sports industry, underscoring the scale and significance of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with matches set to take place in Atlanta this summer.
The following story first appeared in the 2026 edition of the Creative Economy Journal, and we are revisiting it now, just weeks ahead of the World Cup in partnership with the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance. We reached out for their thoughts before republishing the story:
“The world will be watching the FIFA World Cup this summer, but long before kickoff, intellectual property has already shaped how it’s structured, scaled, and monetized,” said Corrine Sukiennik, executive director of the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance.
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By Pooya Shoghi
Technology and IP Counsel at Lee & Hayes and GIPA Board Member
The FIFA World Cup is more than a sports tournament. It’s a global convergence of technology, design, branding, content and innovation all powered by intellectual property.
The World Cup matches in 2026 showcase not only elite athletes but also the creators, entrepreneurs and technologists who shape how the world watches, engages with and remembers the game. Understanding this invisible engine is no longer optional for creative leaders: it’s essential.
A global stage built on legal protection
The FIFA World Cup draws billions of fans from across the globe. Yet behind the highlights and heroics lies a complex legal infrastructure that safeguards innovation, supports storytelling and preserves the tournament’s immense global value.
For those in Georgia’s creative economy, from designers and content creators to brand managers and sports tech developers, the World Cup offers a compelling case study in how intellectual property transforms imagination into enterprise.
Patents drive innovation
Modern soccer technology has revolutionized the game. Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR), goal-line detection and semi-automated offside technology improve accuracy and enhance the fan experience. These systems are protected by utility patents, which reward inventors with exclusive rights to their innovations.
Sony, for example, holds numerous patents related to these tools, including U.S. Patent No. 9,589,332 for camera stabilization and U.K. Patent No. 2,496,428 for 3D ball tracking. These patents help companies secure their role in sports innovation while shaping the experience for players, officials and fans.
The World Cup brand ranks among the most valuable in the world and trademarks protect it. From the term “FIFA World Cup” to the iconic trophy image and the slogan “We Are 26,” FIFA holds multiple U.S. registrations. These marks enable licensing, merchandising and sponsorship deals while defending against counterfeits and misuses that could damage brand integrity.
For creative businesses, it’s a powerful reminder that a name or logo is more than a design; it’s a strategic asset.
World Cup stars aren’t just athletes; they’re global brands. Intellectual property laws help protect their name, image and likeness from unauthorized commercial use through rights of publicity, which give players control over how their persona appears in endorsements, merchandise or media.
Many stars go further by registering trademarks. Lionel Messi, for example, holds more than 130 trademarks for his name and personal logo across multiple countries. This allows him to license his image for official use in video games, advertisements and merchandise while taking legal action against counterfeiters.
Through publicity rights, trademarks and licensing deals, intellectual property ensures players like Messi control how the world uses their face, name and reputation.
Design and visual identity
The look of the World Cup match ball isn’t just aesthetic. It’s protected intellectual property. Design patents guard the unique visual identity of products like Adidas’ “Al Rihla” ball from the 2022 World Cup. U.S. Design Patent No. D936766 protects the panel shapes and surface designs, ensuring only Adidas can reproduce that specific appearance.
While utility patents or trade secrets may protect underlying technologies affecting ball performance, design patents secure commercial exclusivity of the ball’s appearance and reinforce its status as a core tournament symbol that competitors and counterfeiters cannot legally copy.
The unveiling of each new official World Cup soccer ball generates global excitement, a showcase where design, innovation and technology take center stage, all made possible by the intellectual property that protects and powers it. This protection extends to gear, mascots and visual branding. In the creative economy, design tells stories and patents help preserve those narratives.
Copyright powers global media
What fans watch, hear and share during the World Cup is governed by copyright. Match broadcasts, commentary, highlights and promotional content are copyrighted and tightly licensed. This enables FIFA to generate revenue, maintain content quality and control distribution across media platforms.
The World Cup supports a vast network of creatives, camera crews, editors and storytellers whose work is secured and monetized through copyright law. Unauthorized streams or clips are removed swiftly, reflecting how seriously creative rights are protected on the world’s biggest stage while supporting a creative economy that enhances the tournament’s cultural reach and commercial success.
Innovation beneath our feet
Perhaps the most overlooked intellectual property of all: the grass. World Cup pitches require strength, flexibility, consistency and visual appeal. Behind these fields are plant patents protecting new varieties of hybrid turf engineered for high performance. These innovations, blending natural feel with synthetic durability, are licensed to stadiums worldwide.
The turf is as carefully curated as the technology and media and just as protected.
Lessons for Georgia’s creative future
The World Cup demonstrates that no invention, design or idea thrives in isolation. Its magic comes from the powerful interplay of creativity, technology and legal protection. Intellectual property transforms these elements into lasting value on the field, in the marketplace and throughout communities.
“As Georgia welcomes the world for the 2026 World Cup, we have a powerful opportunity to showcase how intellectual property touches all of our lives on and off the field,” says Corrine Sukiennik, executive director of the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance. “We’re working to ensure every Georgian, whether you’re a student, artist, entrepreneur or small business owner, understands how to use intellectual property to grow, connect and thrive. The World Cup is a global celebration, but it’s also a local lesson in the value of what we create and why protecting it matters.”
For Georgia’s creators, innovators, entrepreneurs and future leaders, the message is clear: understand your intellectual property, protect it and let it drive your impact across entertainment, technology and cultural sectors, shaping our collective future. It’s how you play smart, partner legitimately and compete globally.
About GIPA
The Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance is a nonprofit focused on “Empowering intellectual property to advance society.” For more information, contact Corrine.Sukiennik@gaipalliance.org.
This article appeared in the 2026 edition of the Creative Economy Journal. See more from the Journal here.
