From sports shoes to swimwear, from the tennis racket to the soccer ball, sports technologists have put ingenuity, creativity and know-how into engineering better, safer equipment for sporting excellence. That has translated into better performance, better, safer and more efficient equipment for the practice of sport, accurate measurement of performance and a multiplicity of ways to experience sporting events from all places and at all times.
In the world of sport, new and innovative technologies
Are protected under the intellectual property (IP) system, specifically through patents. Patents protect inventions and facilitate the spread of technology. They also prevent the unauthorized use of an invention during the period of time in which the patent is valid. Usually 20 years. This constitutes an incentive for innovation, in the sense of giving inventors the opportunity to recover the investments they have made to conceive the invention and to obtain financial compensation. In exchange for the exclusive right to exploit the invention, the inventor has an obligation to disclose the details of the invention, thus feeding the body of knowledge, as well as providing a new source of innovation. Once the term of protection expires, the technology can be freely used by anyone.
Patents encourage companies to invest in designing and marketing new and improved products.
In addition, they help foster technological progress, to the extent that all patent applications are published. And once you decide to market a product, it becomes available to all sports fans.
- They constitute an incentive for innovation.
- They are a form of recognition and compensation for the inventor.
- They encourage investment in research and development activities.
- They expand the stock of public knowledge.
The cycle of innovation, fueled by patents, has led to a gradual replacement of natural materials (wood, rope, rope, and rubber) used to make sports equipment, with a wide range of highly sophisticated synthetic materials, including alloys and polymers. Thanks to this stronger yet lighter equipment made from high-tech material, athletes around the world have been able to break new records and with less risk of injury and 해외축구 중계사이트 fans around the world have improved their records. . Other improvements in this field include more stylish and faster surfboards and more comfortable and non-slip gloves for soccer team goalkeepers.
Other proprietary sports and training equipment includes bobsleds,
water wheelchairs, starting blocks, stopwatches, golf clubs, and gymnastics equipment. In the field of sports, it is also worth mentioning the patents for sports and muscle-building drinks and nutritional supplements.
- Patents encourage progress
- Thanks to the patent system:
Manufacturers of sports equipment and supplies reap financial gains from innovation, which in turn fosters the vitality of the industry and benefits the economy as a whole.
Researchers have access to a wealth of technical information that they can use to inspire innovations and improvements to existing products.
Athletes around the world benefit from all the innovations that are being made in sports equipment, improving their performance, suffering fewer injuries and recovering faster in case of injury.
The general public benefits from a wide range of high-quality sports products.
The protection of patent rights at the international level
Like other IP rights, patents are territorial in nature, in the sense that they have legal effect exclusively in the country or region in which they are granted. Hence, applying for patent protection in various countries can be time consuming and very expensive. WIPO ‘s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) allows inventors to file a single “international application” to start the process of obtaining patent protection in up to 144 countries. Adopted in 1978, the milestone of 2 million international applications filed under that treaty was reached in April 2011.
