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World IP Day event emphasises importance of IP protection in sports industry
Last Friday, we celebrated World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of IP in supporting innovation and creativity. This year's theme for the day was ‘Reach for Gold: IP and Sports’. On this occasion, AmCham EU, together with the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry and the US Patent and Trademark Office, organised an event on ‘The Value of IP and New Ways of Infringement in the Sports Industry’.
Susan Danger, CEO, AmCham EU gave opening keynote remarks, which were then followed by a panel discussion featuring Angélique Monneraye (Policy Officer, European Commission), Michael Morantz (Policy Analyst, OECD), Mar Peire Nadal (Managing Director, Coolcasc), Alister Baldrick (Brand Protection Director, Nike). The conversation was moderated by Susan Wilson (IP Attaché, US Mission to the European Union).
Showcasing the example of the sports sector, the event demonstrated the importance of IP for our economy and society. IP is the backbone of innovation and creativity, and therefore is a key driver for growth and jobs in Europe. A company cannot be successful without proper IP rights enforcement. However, challenges continue to exist. Recent OECD figures show that 3.3% of global trade flows are counterfeit, which is an increase from 2.5% last year.
Celebrations like the World IP Day are important to raise awareness, to remind us about the challenges and to bring together all relevant stakeholders. Like in sports, proper IP rights enforcement requires teamwork in order to be successful.