With “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate!” as the theme of this year’s World Intellectual Property Day, a distinct and timely topic has come to the fore. Today, as sports grow into a vital force for improving public health, fulfilling aspirations for a better life, boosting economic and social development, and showcasing a nation’s cultural soft power, new practices are unfolding at the intersection of copyright protection and the sports industry. During the 2026 National Intellectual Property (IP) Publicity Week, a series of events centered on copyright protection in sports are writing a new chapter in this field.
Sports Industry
A dynamic halo formed by track lanes circling the copyright symbol, accented with elements such as sports equipment and event broadcasts, rises above a podium symbolizing honor — illustrating how copyright protection strongly supports the dissemination of sports events, industrial operations, and value transformation.
The “Glory in Motion, Copyright in Sports” photographic exhibition on a brief history of Chinese sports focuses on the deep integration of copyright and sports. Featuring iconic images from the archives of Xinhua News Agency, it unfolds a magnificent panorama of China’s sports development over more than seven decades since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. From the arduous explorations of the early years to the breakthrough to win the first Olympic gold medal, and then to the ambitious march toward becoming a country strong in sports in the new era, the exhibition vividly reflects the transformation of the times — China’s growing comprehensive national strength and dynamic economic and social development — while showcasing the Chinese people’s perseverance and unyielding spirit. Through historical imagery, the exhibition presents the intertwined journeys of sports and copyright, offering a direct view of the creative labor and copyright value embedded in sports events.
Building a country strong in sports is a major national strategy for the new era, and copyright protection serves as the lifeline for the sound development of the sports events industry. To protect sports copyright is to protect the spirit of sports, the vitality of innovation, and the future of the industry. It is worth noting that, with technological advances and the evolution of distribution formats, copyright infringement in the sports sector is also undergoing profound changes. Infringement of sports event copyright exhibits such characteristics as concealed forms, diverse means, and complex distribution chains. For example, live-streaming piracy is instantaneous and unpredictable. Infringers often use filters, visual blocking, audio replacement, and other tactics to evade technological detection. Meanwhile, the sheer number of streaming channels makes it difficult for platforms to proactively identify pirated content. These facts demonstrate that sports copyright protection is no longer a simple issue of “rebroadcasting a feed.” Instead, it has become a prolonged battle — a race against technological tools and a contest against a fragmented distribution ecosystem.
Traditional Culture
A cultural scroll forms a halo circling the copyright symbol, incorporating traditional cultural elements such as flying apsaras, lanterns, and bamboo slips — symbolizing how copyright protection enables the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, continuously revitalizing it for the new era.
In response to these challenges, copyright authorities have taken timely action, forming a comprehensive strategy for copyright protection in the sports events sector: law enforcement and regulatory oversight will be continuously strengthened, and infringing activities will be subject to sustained crackdowns; a pattern of social co-governance will be accelerated, and collaborative efforts from all parties will be further consolidated; and alignment with international rules will be advanced, as China’s experience and stories in sports copyright protection are shared more broadly with the world. These institutional arrangements reflect both a clear assessment of the current infringement landscape and a systematic vision for building a new framework for copyright protection in the sports industry.
Copyright social organizations have also responded proactively, with practical industry-level responses now accelerating. The preparatory group for the Sports Events Program Copyright Working Committee of the Copyright Society of China was officially launched. The establishment of this specialized committee will provide an ongoing platform for industry coordination and self-regulation in sports event copyright protection. Meanwhile, the Music Copyright Society of China (MCSC) released the Basic Cooperation Plan for Copyright Protection of Musical Works in Sports Events and reached a copyright licensing agreement with Jiangsu Sports Industry Group Co., Ltd. for the use of musical works in the Jiangsu Football City League (JSCL). This marks a substantial step forward in music copyright cooperation in the sports sector. Musical works are extensively used in sports events — from background music during opening ceremonies to halftime performances, from event promotional videos to post-game highlight reels. Ensuring compliance with music copyright has long been a challenge in the sports industry’s copyright management. The release of this cooperation plan provides an actionable model for the copyright protection of musical works in sports events.
Film, Television, and Entertainment
A light-and-shadow trajectory formed by film reels and musical notes circles the copyright symbol, incorporating elements such as film and television, music, and gaming — demonstrating how copyright protection consistently empowers the production, distribution, and industrial ecosystem of cultural content.
The voices of industry representatives also merit attention. Representatives from organizations including Migu Culture Technology Co., Ltd., China Media Group (CMG), and Chinese Professional Football League Sports Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd., drawing on their practical experience in sports event copyright operations, explored pathways for the coordinated development of copyright protection and the sports ecosystem. Experts from the intellectual property division of the Supreme People’s Court analyzed adjudication rules and directions for institutional improvement in sports event copyright cases from a judicial protection perspective. Legal experts from internet platforms such as Tencent, along with university scholars, engaged in in-depth discussions on the institutional logic and industrial needs of sports event copyright governance. Though these voices came from different stakeholders, they all pointed to a core proposition: in the digital age, sports copyright protection requires breaking down institutional barriers between administrative protection, judicial protection, social co-governance, and industry self-regulation, to form a collaborative and efficient governance system.
In the realm of public outreach and industry advocacy, Olympic champion and FIVB Volleyball World Cup winner Zhao Ruirui was appointed as “Copyright Protection Ambassador of the Copyright Society of China” and released the Initiative on Copyright Protection and High-Quality Development in the Sports Sector. The initiative calls on all parties to actively respond to the national strategy of building China into a strong copyright nation, strengthen copyright safeguards in the sports sector, and support high-quality industrial development. The involvement of sports stars has helped copyright protection concepts reach beyond legal professional circles to a wider audience, playing a positive role in fostering a social and cultural environment that respects copyright and resists piracy.
Emerging Fields
Binary code and circuit patterns form a technological halo around the copyright symbol, incorporating elements such as AI and robotics — highlighting the important role of copyright protection in driving the digital economy and advancing cutting-edge technological innovation.
“United in Purpose, Driving Development Together” — China’s sports event copyright protection and development embarks on a new journey, symbolizing a new phase of systematic advancement. From top-level policy design to local collaboration, from stronger law enforcement to enhanced industry self-discipline, and from improved judicial protection to social co-governance, a comprehensive protection framework is taking shape, covering pre-event prevention, in-event monitoring, and post-event response.
Looking ahead, as the new copyright protection framework rapidly crystallizes, the high-quality development of the sports industry will gain even stronger copyright safeguards. The dream of building a country strong in sports will, under the guardianship of copyright, march forward with steadier and stronger strides.