LEGAL STATUS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN THE SPHERE OF SPORTS

Abstract

The article examines the features of the legal status of intellectual property objects in the field of sports, their commercial use and protection in the context of the modern sports industry. The specifics of the sports sphere as a subject-object area of intellectual property regulation are analysed, in particular the interaction of various forms of rights, such as copyright, patent law and trademark law. The legal mechanisms for the transfer and exercise of rights to intellectual property objects between athletes, sports organizations, media partners and other entities are considered. Special attention is paid to the athlete’s right to his own image, as well as to ways to prevent unfair commercial use of his name and image without consent. It is determined that the commercialization of sports products and services forms new forms of legal relations, and effective protection and use of intellectual property contributes to increasing the investment attractiveness of sports events and the financial stability of sports organizations. The authors emphasize the need to modernize Ukrainian legislation taking into account international standards and the formation of a comprehensive legal model of intellectual property in sports, which is a prerequisite for the integration of national sports law into the European legal space. The paper uses theoretical, systemic-structural and formal-legal research methods, which allowed for a comprehensive assessment of legal problems and prospects for the development of legal regulation of intellectual property in sports activities.