India waives intellectual property fees for sports sector for three years

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has announced a three-year waiver of government fees for intellectual property (IP) registrations in India's sports sector, aiming to strengthen the country's sports economy.

Speaking at the World Intellectual Property Day celebrations, Goyal introduced a policy designed to assist local sports leagues, athletes, and equipment manufacturers in protecting their brands and maximising commercial opportunities through media rights and franchising.

The policy eliminates financial barriers for IP related to sports, including trademarks, copyrights, patents, designs, Geographical Indications (GI), and Traditional Knowledge, with immediate effect.

Goyal stated, “From today, any IP, whether it’s trademark, copyright, patent, design, traditional knowledge, or a GI product, for three years, as a special drive to promote sports, the fees will be zero… We’ll examine it after three years, based on how much all of you participate and how much the ecosystem really benefits from this announcement…”

He emphasised support for smaller and emerging sports leagues that currently lack formal brand protection, noting that securing a trademark is essential not only as a legal formality but as a business strategy to realise the true value of the sport.

The Minister highlighted that registered trademarks enable leagues to negotiate improved deals with broadcasters and streaming platforms and facilitate the sale of franchise rights, allowing brands to expand into new regions and merchandise markets.

Goyal added, “Wherever there are leagues that any of you may be aware of, which have not yet registered themselves, we should get them trademark-registered. That will help you get better media rights or to capture the media rights of that. That will also help you franchise your products.”

This initiative aligns with India’s aspirations to host the 2036 Olympic Games and to establish a strong “Sports India” brand. By reducing IP protection costs, the government intends to foster innovation and greater professionalisation in sports management.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry anticipates a significant increase in IP filings nationwide during the three-year period, supporting the transformation of local tournaments into scalable, protected, and profitable entities with global reach.