PROTECTION OF IPR IN IPL

Abstract

The spread of information technology (IT) and networked systems throughout the world has had an enormous positive impact on economies and societies. As we can see that in today’s intellectual property laws are fashioned during the industrialization age and developed subsequently raises the advancement of technology in the society. The technology, as well as the laws, goes hand in hand, as more the advancement of technology, the more laws are there for the protection of those intellectual properties. The Sports industry has always been a massive sector across the world, bringing together entertainment, games, culture and monetary business, right from the primitive era through the glorious days of Caesar to the twenty first century money making sports industry. Sports activities which started as a hobby or a pastime event to enable participants to enjoy the sports or as a form of physical exercise; have evolved into giant international events, or more appropriately international businesses. For e.g. Real Madrid which is a Spanish as well as European professional football club, based in Madrid, Spain and part of La Liga League, is one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams in the world. Real Madrid has a wide range of commercial incomes, from sponsorship to merchandising and financial services. It operates a TV channel, radio station, publishes a magazine, provides newsletters and another large chunk of its revenues come from tickets to games, hotel and cinema.

The sports nowadays is not related to physical, mental activities of human beings but are related to any sort of entertainment. It also relates to Commercialization of Sports or in other words Corporatization of Sports. Today’s marketing plays a vital role not only for the players, but also for the teams too. As, I stated above the example of Real Madrid Players as well as the team how they use to promote the sports and the franchise together. The expansion of sports can be seen around the globe, similar effects can also be seen in India too. In India also, the industry of sports is becoming bigger and bigger over the years with certain sports getting unimaginable mileage over others due to the commercialization and investment interest. Cricket has for decades been a gentleman's sport, which has now transitioned into a monumental commercial game attracting huge capital, investments and profits. IPR in Cricket is legally protected by a wide variety of means, which include trade mark and design laws, copyright laws, competition and trade practices laws, telecommunications and broadcast laws relating to signal theft, common law and the terms and conditions under which Cricket match tickets are sold and pursuant to which stadium entry is permitted.