The Uganda Registration Services Bureau has called on athletes and sports stakeholders to embrace intellectual property (IP) rights as a pathway to financial growth beyond active competition.
This was during a breakfast meeting held on April 20 at the Uganda Business Facilitation Centre in Kololo, ahead of World Intellectual Property Day celebrations. The engagement brought together sports federations, associations and journalists to discuss the growing role of IP in Uganda’s sports industry.
The Deputy Registrar General – Registries, Mr. Ntale Mustafah, said intellectual property is central to the business of sports. “IP plays a critical role in creating, safeguarding and commercialising value. The interaction between intellectual property and sports provides a valuable platform for sharing ideas among stakeholders,” he noted.
Commissioner for Intellectual Property, Robert Mugabe, emphasized that sports assets carry real value. “Every jersey, logo and team identity represents valuable intellectual property,” he said.
Participants highlighted challenges, including unregistered online platforms. Sports journalist Clive Kyazze urged stakeholders to work closely with URSB to address such gaps.
The meeting encouraged federations to conduct IP audits, register trademarks, protect athletes’ image rights and negotiate broadcast deals.
URSB also emphasized the media’s role in simplifying IP for the public. Officials said such engagements are key to building a strong, commercially viable sports sector in Uganda.