Now that several global sports events are starting and with the aim of encouraging fans to prefer official broadcasts and buy authorised products, the EUIPO is launching the “Play Fair” campaign, calling for no infringement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
According to a recent study carried out by the EUIPO, counterfeiting has serious economic and social consequences. Losses of revenue and the destruction of jobs in the European Union are a fact in several sectors, including those of clothing, cosmetics and toys. Additionally, companies which produce official articles suffer reputational damage as a result of the production and marketing of lower quality copies of their products, increasing scepticism in European economies about the soundness of investment in innovation and thus threatening the ongoing development of a healthy economy.
There are several IPRs that protect different aspects of the main sports events taking place around the world, specifically and among others, designs or models that protect the aesthetic aspect of a product, such as footwear, official equipment and balls used in competitions, as well as the protection sought by players through the registration of trademarks, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, among many other players who hold IPRs.
By watching official broadcasts and buying licensed products, we are saying no to the scourge of counterfeiting!
